By The Canadian Press

Estate of late Savoura founder sues helicopter company in 2019 deadly Quebec crash

Mar 28, 2025 | 9:24 AM

MONTREAL — A United States helicopter company is facing a $50-million lawsuit in the 2019 crash that killed the founder of a Quebec greenhouse farming company and his teenage son.

The estate of Stéphane Roy, the late founder and ex-CEO of Savoura, filed a lawsuit on Thursday in Quebec Superior Court accusing Robinson Helicopter Company Inc. of negligence in the two deaths.

Robinson is the manufacturer of the R44 helicopter that crashed in Quebec in July 2019, killing Roy, 55, and his son Justin Roy Séguin, who were returning from a fishing trip. The downed chopper was found in a wooded area near Lac Valtrie, Que., about 220 kilometres northwest of Montreal, 14 days after they were reported missing.

The lawsuit was initially filed in California in July 2021 but Robinson Helicopter sought to have the case moved to Quebec, a step that was affirmed in January 2025 by the California Court of Appeal.

According to the Quebec filing, the estate is seeking $25 million in compensatory damages and another $25 million in punitive damages.

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Daniel Roy, brother of Stéphane Roy and executor of the estate, said in a statement Friday that the family is determined to get to the truth. Investigations by the Transportation Safety Board and independent experts have uncovered significant negligence by Robinson Helicopter, he said.

“My family and I are determined to uncover the complete truth behind this tragic event that took my brother and nephew,” Roy said.

“Without accountability, tragedies like this could happen again. We discovered numerous similar incidents involving Robinson aircraft. Our mission is to end these preventable tragedies and hold Robinson accountable.”

A spokesperson for California-based Robinson said it would release a statement later Friday.

The father and son were reported missing on July 11, 2019 — one day after they failed to return home to Ste-Sophie, Que., north of Montreal.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigated and issued a report in March 2021 that found the failure of a main rotor blade was a key factor in the crash. The agency said one of the blades had worn out over time due to multiple adhesive failures. While the helicopter was sold with an emergency locator transmitter, no signal was detected after the crash because of a broken locking latch.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press