Oppression Action
An oppression action (or oppression remedy claim) is a legal claim brought by a shareholder or other stakeholder against a corporation alleging that the company’s conduct is oppressive, unfairly prejudicial, or unfairly disregards their interests or reasonable expectations. The term is most commonly used in Canada, where legislation provides a broad statutory remedy. Unlike a derivative action, which addresses harm to the corporation, it seeks remedies for harm suffered personally by the claimant.
Other jurisdictions recognize similar claims under different names and legal frameworks. In the United States, claimants bring minority shareholder oppression or breach of fiduciary duty claims. In the United Kingdom, claimants bring unfair prejudice petitions. In Australia and other jurisdictions, comparable remedies exist under company law.
Learn more in this article.