On 15 January 2021 Equibit Group Ltd., Chris Horlacher and Marc Godard issued a Statement of Claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Court File No. CV-21-00654929-0000.
Parties in CV-21-00654929-0000
Key Defendants:
- Christian Saucier – Former Quality Assurance Director
- David McFadzean – Former Senior Software Engineer
- Bart de Groot, Abdelaziz Oulad Hadj, Valentin Ganev, and several anonymous online personas (John Doe defendants) accused of libel
Allegations Against the Employee and Libel Defendants
Against the Employee Defendants (Saucier and McFadzean):
- Breach of fiduciary duties and employment contracts
- Misappropriation of company property and assets
- Soliciting investors to start a competing venture
- Bad faith conduct during the company’s critical wind-down period
Libel Claims:
The claim alleges that multiple defendants published false and defamatory statements about Equibit, Horlacher, and Godard across the internet under both real names and pseudonyms. These statements allegedly damaged the company’s reputation at a time when it was fighting to survive.
Damages Sought:
- $10,000,000 for breach of contract, fiduciary duty, conversion, and related claims
- $500,000 per libel defendant (multiple defendants)
- Aggravated and punitive damages of $1,000,000 each
- Tracing orders, preservation orders, and other equitable relief
Place in the Broader Campaign
This lawsuit represents what Chris Horlacher has described as the second phase of the campaign against Equibit. After external regulatory pressure (detailed in the OSC Experience memo) and alleged insider interference contributed to operational collapse in 2018–2019, certain former employees and investors allegedly moved to further dismantle the company’s reputation and remaining value through public defamation and asset disputes.
The timing is significant: the Statement of Claim was filed as Chris began escalating efforts to hold accountable those he believes played roles in Equibit’s downfall — both internally and through broader institutional involvement.
Relation to CV-20 (CSIS action) and the Later Files
This action complements the primary lawsuit against CSIS. Together, they paint a picture of a multi-pronged effort: external regulatory and intelligence pressure combined with internal betrayal and public smear campaigns to neutralize a promising Canadian blockchain innovation in securities technology.
The case remains active and forms an important part of the overall effort to recover damages and establish accountability for the events that led to Equibit’s dismantling.
The Issued Statement of Claim
This lawsuit underscores a central theme in the Equibit story: the alleged use of both institutional power and internal betrayal to suppress innovative technology that threatened established interests.
This action is still active, and Christian has yet to serve a defence.
Further Reading
- Statement of Claim Against CSIS
- Statement of Claim Filed Against Marc Godard
- The Assassination of Equibit: Phase Two
- Seven Documented Technical Attacks
