Formula E civil lawsuit dismissed against City of Montreal

An entrepreneur who sued the City of Montreal for not considering his bid to organize a 2017 electric car race has failed in his effort to obtain more than $3 million in compensation.

A judge suggested there’s no proof Alexandre Choko would have made money even if he had been selected to run the much-criticized Formula E event, which was cancelled after one year with a deficit of more than $17.7 million.

Choko sued in 2018 after Montreal’s auditor general released a report that accused former mayor Denis Coderre of circumventing rules in his handling of the race.

Choko alleged that Coderre and his office bypassed a law that would have required a call for tenders by using the cover of a non-profit that was able to directly hire event management company Evenko.

Superior Court Justice Louis Charette concluded in a Dec. 4 ruling that while the city acted wrongly, Choko failed to demonstrate he had been harmed, because there was no proof he would have been selected to promote the event, much less made money.

Formula E on the streets of Montreal

The Formula E two-day race event was held July 2017 on a street circuit in Montreal – and caused much controversy.

It didn’t draw nearly the number of race fans it expected – with many tickets being given away – and the following year’s edition was cancelled.

Formula E was the initiative of Coderre, who said the race would help promote sustainable energy initiatives in Montreal, but current mayor Valérie Plante cancelled the second edition when she took office – calling it a financial fiasco.

The race was slated to be held again in 2018 and 2019.