A deposed building manager will have to pay more than $ 15,000 to its elderly tenants after having made them have harassment for months.
The Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL) recognized that Robert Richard had “abusive” behaviors towards Yves Poulin (80) and Diane Pellerin (70 years old) with the obvious goal of “optimizing the revenues of the building” located in Repentigny.
Judge Anaïs Gagné criticizes him for his attempt to double their rent, to have started a procedure for termination of their lease, for having levied without authorization from the funds from their bank account and for having withdrawn a storage space.
The owner of the building was trying to “impose his law” by various repeated maneuvers “aimed at that tenants leave or pay higher rent,” said the judge.
The tenants underwent “stress, anxiety and anxiety”, which justifies $ 5,000 in moral damage, according to the tal.
The court also grants $ 10,000 in punitive damage to “prevent recurrence” of this strategy.
Diane Pellerin and Yves Poulin have lived in their Housing in Repentigny for decades.
A second judgment
“This is the last nail in the coffin for Mr. Richard,” believes Me Jean Olivier Berthiaume who represented the complainants.
Mr. Richard had been investigated J in November 2024; Desjardins then recalled the loans of the companies of which he was a shareholder.
In February 2025, he was also ordered to pay $ 42,000 to another tenant after an attempted eviction using false bailiff’s documents.
“The message that we pass with this judgment is that to open a legal proceedings, it must be founded. […] For my clients, that means the recognition of the injustice they have suffered, ”believes the lawyer specializing in housing law.
Me Berthiaume, however, deplores the refusal to lift the corporate veil of Mr. Richard, a decision which, according to him, could complicate the execution of the judgment.
