Supreme Court rules in favour of unsealing Sherman estate files

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a trove of files related to murder victims Barry and Honey Sherman be unsealed and opened to public access.

The unanimous decision found that trustees of the wealthy Toronto couple’s estate failed to establish a serious risk to their safety and privacy, and that public interest and the principle of open court proceedings require unlocking the files.

In June 2018, a lower court judge issued an order protecting the files, which concern the appointment of estate trustees and would ordinarily be available for public inspection.

The order stemmed from the notion that