A B.C. judge has tossed out the claim of an Abbotsford family that its members have a God-given right to secretive government property; and now the family will have to pay the government for court costs.
Jason Garrett Zimmer and his wife and daughter (Nadia Huguette Marie Zimmer and Taliyah Bianca Marie Zimmer) petitioned the court last March for a “full forensic accounting” by the provincial and federal governments for some form of unspecified property they believed they were entitled to upon birth, citing the bible and the “Will of God” as the foundation of their claim.
Canada’s Attorney General responded to the petition, calling it “unintelligible, confusing and difficult to understand, such that it is difficult, if not impossible, to discern the claims made or causes of action asserted.”
The Zimmers specifically stated that, when they were born, a "Christian title" was created that promised them to be “heirs to the kingdom” and that the “statement of birth,” or state-issued birth certificate, provided a “security” to them.
“We believe this security instrument was deposited in the Bank of Canada as a credit,” stated the Zimmers’ petition.
Zimmer described the property as “a bundle of rights,” according to the ruling.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Gordon Weatherill noted such a claim is not new.
“This is another in a series of petitions that have been filed in Canadian courts by litigants who have been labelled by the courts as ‘Organized Pseudolegal Commercial Argument’ (OPCA) litigants,” stated the judge.
“The petitioners, who claim that they have never consented to being governed, ask the court for an accounting, liquidation, and distribution of property they say is earmarked for them since birth but remains within the respondent government's possession. They say that their respective birth certificates confirm their entitlement to ‘property’ that the governments have been holding since their birth. Mr. Zimmer asserted that, ‘We are here to get our property vested,’” stated Weatherill in his brief ruling.
Weatherill noted such claims have been addressed by Canadian courts, namely the Meads case, which describes a “money for nothing” or “accept for value” (A4V) scheme.
“A4V’s guru promoters claim that each person is associated with a secret government bank account which contains millions of dollars. The exact sum varies from guru to guru,” noted the Meads judgment.
Weatherill called the Zimmer claim analogous to those that have been rejected as “so completely devoid of merit” that litigants should be penalized for launching such actions.
"Unfortunately, the court — a decade after Meads — continues to see OPCA claims such as this petition," noted the B.C. government's response to the petition.
As such, Weatherill agreed with the respondent governments and ordered the Zimmers pay the governments' court fees to respond to their “frivolous and vexatious” claim.
