Judge dismisses family’s lawsuit over teen’s death following COVID shot
Federal health officials owe no “duty of care” to individuals harmed by pandemic policies, Ontario court rules.
An Ontario judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the family of a 17-year-old boy who died shortly after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, ruling that the federal Department of Health does not owe a legal “duty of care” to individuals allegedly harmed by pandemic measures.
The ruling, first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, involved the tragic case of Sean Hartman of Beeton, Ontario, who died suddenly on September 17, 2021, just three weeks after receiving a Pfizer-BioNTech shot. His family petitioned the court to examine whether Health Canada failed to properly warn Canadians that death was a possible side effect of the vaccine.
“The plaintiff’s tragedy is real, but there is no private law duty of care made out,” wrote Ontario Superior Court Justice Sandra Antoniani. “There is no private law duty of care to individual members of the public injured by government core policy decisions in the handling of health emergencies which impact the general population.”
Judge dismisses vax death liability suit, says @GovCanHealth owed no "duty of care" to individuals swept up in Covid mandates: "A possible side effect of receiving a Covid-19 vax was death." https://t.co/o8onlki0Qe #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/VlMUyWKtDM
— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) March 26, 2025
Justice Antoniani struck the claim, ruling the defendants had acted to mitigate public health risks during a global emergency. “Imposition of a private duty of care would have a negative impact on the ability of the defendants to prioritize the interests of the entire public,” she wrote, citing the distraction of potential litigation and fear of liability.
Just weeks after Hartman’s death, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) warned of rare but troubling instances of heart inflammation in young males following Moderna shots.
“For individuals aged 12 to 29 receiving a COVID-19 vaccine primary series, the use of Pfizer-BioNTech is preferred to Moderna,” NACI said in a December 3, 2023 health bulletin. It also recommended that young men space their doses at least eight weeks apart.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has recorded 11,702 serious adverse events following COVID vaccination, including 635 strokes and heart attacks, 323 cases of internal bleeding, 216 instances of facial paralysis, 101 miscarriages, 82 kidney injuries, and 40 liver injuries.
“A total of 488 reports with an outcome of death were reported following vaccination,” said the agency. “Although these deaths occurred after being vaccinated… they are not necessarily related to the vaccine.”
To date, Canada’s Vaccine Injury Support Program has approved 219 claims out of 2,060 filed, paying out $16.6 million in compensation including funeral expenses.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
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COMMENTS
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Crude Sausage commented 2025-03-27 10:07:37 -0400To Bruce: the only response I have to that is that the COVID experience, as well as the constant lies and lies by omission of the televised media concerning the virus, its vaccine and many other things, has resulted in me not believing a word of what the government and the people on the screen tell me anymore. They can’t even tell me the truth about the polls. LCN here in Québec routinely shows a chart where the Liberals are clearly ahead and cite a specific polling agency. However, if you go to that agency’s web site, their data is completely different than what the people on television said it was. It’s almost as if they were being paid by the current government to lie. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-03-26 21:53:30 -0400How I wish we could get rid of such idiotic judges. Did somebody pay him to rule in favour of the government? And if the government has no responsibility for drug side effects, will they use that to push dangerous drugs on us? Canada is severely screwed.
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Crude Sausage commented 2025-03-26 11:59:02 -0400This now sets the precedent that the government can coerce you into taking a vaccine that they know will kill you without you ever expecting that they will compensate your family.
