Court to Decide if Tim Hortons Boat Prize Lawsuit Can Move Forward
Canadians who believed they had won a $55,000 fishing boat in Tim Hortons’ “Roll Up to Win” contest, only to later be told it was an error, may soon learn whether their class action lawsuit can proceed.
Montreal-based law firm LPC Avocats filed the proposed suit in 2024, seeking to compel Tim Hortons to honor the prize or provide financial compensation. The lawsuit asks for the delivery of the boats, unspecified damages, and $10,000 in punitive damages per participant.
An authorization hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at the Montreal courthouse to determine if the case can move forward as a class action.
The controversy began in April 2024, when Tim Hortons sent promotional recap emails to users of its mobile app. Some customers were told they had won a boat and trailer—only to receive follow-up messages stating the prize notification had been sent in error.
Tim Hortons attributed the mistake to “human error.”
“We developed the Roll Up To Win recap message with the best intentions,” said Michael Oliveira, Tim Hortons’ director of communications. “Unfortunately, a human error resulted in some guests receiving incorrect prize information.”
LPC Avocats attorney Joey Zukran argues that this is not the first time the company has misled customers. In 2023, Tim Hortons allegedly made a similar mistake, informing customers they had won a $10,000 prepaid gift card.
“This is about holding Tim Hortons accountable,” Zukran said. “Our client isn’t in it for the money. He just wants the prize he was told he won.”
Tim Hortons maintains the lawsuit is without merit and says it will respond through the legal system. The company did not provide an updated comment ahead of the hearing.
