U.S. helicopter company to fight lawsuit by Savoura CEO’s estate in 2019 Quebec crash

By Canadian Press on March 29, 2025.

MONTREAL — A U.S. helicopter manufacturer says it intends to challenge a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estate of a Quebec greenhouse magnate over a 2019 fatal crash.

David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company, issued a statement today saying the company looks forward to discussing discrepancies over what it says caused the crash that claimed the lives of Savoura CEO Stéphane Roy and his teenage son.

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 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.

Smith says Robinson Helicopter Company participated in that accident investigation and alleges it provided information that contradicts the TSB’s findings, but alleges that evidence that carburetor icing caused the engine to fail was ignored.

Smith says the company looks forward to addressing discrepancies in Quebec Superior Court.

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. A lawsuit filed on Thursday in Quebec Superior Court accuses Robinson Helicopter Company Inc. of negligence in the two deaths.

The downed chopper was found in a wooded area near Lac Valtrie, Que., about 220 kilometres northwest of Montreal, 14 days after the Roys were reported missing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2025.

The Canadian Press