Tim Hortons co-founder to appeal ruling in sex-assault suit

A $7.5-millon sexual-assault lawsuit against the billionaire co-founder of Tim Hortons, Ron Joyce, will go to trial.

A lawyer for Joyce says he’s appealing the ruling.

In her statement of claim, the woman in her mid-30s, alleges Joyce sexually assaulted her at his Burlington home almost 5 years ago. The pair had known each other for a decade and at one point had an intimate relationship.

In late 2011 Joyce sent a $50,000 cheque to her lawyer, which he argues was the result of an amicable settlement over the alleged assault. After that the 2 resumed a platonic relationship. The woman argued the cheque was reimbursement for her legal fees.

In the ruling, superior court justice Paul Perell also struck down the woman’s defamation claim against Joyce, but he tore a strip off both sides in his decision. He said an enormous amount of irrelevant evidence was hypocritical, intemperate, and rude. The judge went on to say:

“apart from concluding that both Mr. Joyce and the woman are vulpine and cunning — for the purposes of deciding this summary judgment motion, I need not decide who was the hunter or who was the fox.”