Lawyer argues Rogers Communications ex-chair had power to form new board as family feud reaches court

A battle for control of Rogers Communication Inc (RCI) board opened in Canadian court on Monday with a lawyer for former chairman Edward Rogers arguing he had the authority to appoint a new board without an in-person shareholder meeting.

Lawyer Ken McEwan told a British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick that Edward Rogers required the majority of shareholder votes to reconstitute the company’s board of directors. As chairman of the family trust, he controlled 97.5% of the voting shares, giving him the authority to act, McEwan added.