Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect new court documents received by Global News
A provincial judge has temporarily frozen up to $8.5 million in assets belonging to Alberta separatist lawyer Jeffrey Rath and his professional corporation in an escalating court fight over trust money from a First Nation Treaty settlement, court documents state.
On July 10, Alberta Court of King’s Bench Justice Marion granted an interim Mareva order against Rath and Jeffrey R.W. Rath Professional Corporation, operating as Rath & Company, finding reasonable grounds to believe assets could be moved or dissipated before judgment in a court battle between Rath and Tallcree First Nation.
A Mareva order, also known as a freezing order, is an extraordinary pre-judgment remedy intended to stop a defendant from transferring, hiding, or liquidating assets before a case is decided, so that any eventual financial award can still be collected.
The order freezes exigible property up to $8,518,075 and includes bank or investment accounts, vehicles, real estate property, personal property and shares. It also prohibits the use of secured credit — such as a loan, line of credit or credit card — if repayment is secured against property they have an interest in.
It remains in effect until July 15, when a further hearing is scheduled.
Rath declined to answer specific questions about the Mareva order from Global News, as the matters remain before the court.
A co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project, Rath is a leading voice in the separatist movement and has long represented First Nations in landmark treaty settlements.
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This order comes after an extended fight between Tallcree and Rath, which escalated from a fee dispute into a battle over trust money that, according to court documents filed by Tallcree, would benefit minors.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
In 2021, Alberta courts slashed a 20-per-cent fee that Rath & Company charged for Tallcree’s $57.6-million Treaty 8 settlement, ordering an $8.5-million refund into their First Nation Trust.
Tallcree and Rath then clashed over where that refund should land — the Trust or Tallcree itself.
According to an affidavit filed by Tallcree chief Rupert Meneen, the trust distributed settlement money to beneficiaries and held the shares of members who were minors until they reached adulthood. Rath’s firm was the fund’s sole trustee.
New court filings underpinning the injunction allege that Rath withheld financial statements from the trust and that it was only through those filings that Tallcree’s leadership discovered he had charged more than $6 million in 2024 — the same fiscal year Rath was required to repay the $8.5-million. Tallcree’s lawyers argue the trust may have effectively paid for much of its own repayment.
Meneen alleges that Rath stopped providing financial statements for the trust after 2020, despite obligations to do so. Statements were produced only after repeated demands, including a court-enforced order, according to allegations in court documents.
Those statements, according to court documents, showed that in 2024, Rath charged the trust large bills, including $4.6-million in retroactive “trust administrative costs” and $1.4-million in “professional fees.”
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Meneen’s lawyers allege that the timing suggests Rath “repaid the trust with its own money.” The following year, he charged the trust another $420,000 in similar fees.
By contrast, Meneen’s application states that BMO Trust Company — which his lawyers sought to replace Rath as trustee — would charge an expected annual fee of about $44,700 before tax.
Tallcree said it didn’t know where the trust funds are, court documents state, alleging that it thought they were held in an RBC account until it learned they had been moved.
On June 26, Justice Parker ordered that Rath PC be removed immediately as a trustee on an interim basis and replaced with BMO. He was ordered to provide information and records within a matter of weeks, imposing a $2,500 daily fine for each day the firm failed to meet specified deadlines.
Following Rath’s removal, BMO Trust Company requested account statements for the trust, according to court documents. The records identified four accounts at Royal Bank of Canada and Scotia Wealth Management, with about $6.45-million remaining.
Tallcree had earlier appealed to have Rath’s $8.5-million refund returned directly to them rather than the trust. That appeal was dismissed in November 2025, and the funds were ordered to be paid into the trust.
Instead, court records filed by Tallcree lawyers show a cheque for $8.5-million was issued to “Jeffrey R.W. Rath Professional,” according to newly filed court documents. That suggested, according to Tallcree’s lawyers, Rath “used his office as Trustee to extract for himself the precise amount that multiple courts — after years of contested litigation — determined he was not entitled to retain.”
Tallcree’s lawyers demanded to know where the money had gone, indicating that if Rath did not respond, they would seek urgent court relief– including a Mareva injunction.
In an affidavit, Rath denied misappropriation, arguing that funds paid from the Trust as administrative fees, legal fees, or other required trust payments were no longer “trust funds” that were required to remain in the disclosed accounts.
Governor smith will over rule the courts and save the seperatists, maybe it will be added to the referendum “ do eu wanna save separatists from all prosecutions for any crimes they have committed”?
Governor smiths right hand seperatists man under investigation for grifting. The apple doesn’t fall far from the seperatists tree.
Yu painted a whole narrative to make it seem like independence advocates are doing something shady but everything i read suggests nothing other than a mundane commonplace situation that doesn’t even have to do with independence took place… this is why ur “news” isnt taken very seriously anymore
First Nations need to be audited and assets frozen as Taxpayers need to know where yheir hard earned money goes while many go to foodbanks or live in encampments, etc. 600 FN Chiefs embark on Ottawa ro talk about water — the money they spend on flights, vehicles, feather hats, hotels & food, etc., would more than fix their water woes. All I can say is that there is poor money management among other so called self governance as as a separatist Nation with benefits!!
No referendums!!! I dont follow much of the comments that have been written. Who do you dislike more in this discussion?
But won’t seize a dots assets
The lesson being that if you challenge the powers that be they will campaign to destroy your reputation in any way they can instead of actually addressing the issues raised.
“Imagine if he put an order on FN accounts“
Exactly as correctly said below. Last time that was tried they screamed and complained. Then only to have other FNs bands starting to call out their own leaders for misuse of funds.
You can’t find a more duality and unbalanced set rules anywhere on the planet.
Show them the money and they’ll bend over and spread wide, that’s all they do
Based on my extensive international travels and personal observations, I have concluded that First Nations peoples represent one of the most challenging and problematic demographic groups encountered globally.
TRUMP 2028, make Canada great again.
Rath will be exonerated and the FNs will have some explaining to do.
Imagine if he put an order on FN accounts
Wow, are the lefties ever getting dirty! Time to get Ottawa out of Alberta!
Ha, no one saw that one coming eh? Law-fare and harassment to exhaust your opponents. Hang on Albertan’s, its just starting. The slim balls will do all they can to keep the organizers to look like fools.
Rath will be vindicated. This is a character assassination by those that are against the Alberta Independence movement, so Liberals and socialists from Ontario and Eastern Canada.
A smear campaign by FNs, Carney, and Nenshi and other LWNJs.
Trustworthy?
Maybe?
The courts will decide.
Leading the separatist party.
He and the Premier should both leave and move to the U.S. were corruption is forgiven by the President.
Typical UCP tactics and Trump like.
This is the man trying to lead us down the trail of seperation.
Trustworthy?
The sooner the shyster is in jail the better along with the criminal David Parker.
Sounds like Rath & Company would be an excellent partner for the ol’ conman, felon and grifter, Trump, in the USA!?
Brookfield’s accounts should be frozen and investigated with third party forensic financial auitors. Mark Carney is the only criminal Canada needs to focus on right now.
this is proof of liberal corruption
Treason. ????
Look at the lieberals …all they do is cheat ,lie and steal money !!!!
And they keep doing it
Sours grapes on behalf of the Tallcrets or whatever they are.
Paid this guy millions to make him them millions more and when he pushes his own agenda they want the FNs the money back.
Seems to have gotten himself into a pickle with the FNs.
But over all good for him up till now. Realised the FNs were cleaning up off the govt and decided to clean up off the FNs and took millions.
Can’t say I blame him. Someone was going to help the FNs.
I suspect Jeffrey has all he needs to win this one. His cut of 20% of settlements is actually a bit light considering most lawyers can ask up to 40%.
liberal communist party are going all out to stop separation , would love to see Carney and his government investigated and see where all the billions of dollars went they so called gave to Ukraine and other countries
Wow, are the lefties getting dirty! Time to get Ottawa!
Carnhole and his swallowers, ya can’t fix stupid!
Seems made up smear campaign by the FN Band. They want to discredit Rath as they are against the Pro-Alberta Independence movement that Rath is acting as council for.
canada is a toilet bowl full of foreign turds. ALBERTA FIRST!
I’m sure the anti-separatists will have a field day.reminder: a lot if separatists don’t care about these organizations. Rath has zero power in a successful separatist vote. It’s all back to the premier. An elected official.
Marilyn Gladu a few years backs had to pay back expenses to the House of Commons that were deemed ineligible like diet pills and gender reassignment medication.
@Marilyn Inky was a Green MP, not conservative. Maybe read something prior to posting disinformation.
Would trust a respected lawyer than a grifting FN Band.
“Judge freezes $8.5M of Alberta separatist lawyer’s assets”
Separatists, ignorant people who lie steal and cheat. Do we really want them as leaders?
great interview god bless mitch sylvester lets leave no reason to stay.
…looks like maple maga folks on here got their sheets on today…stay in school kids…
Tom deserved to get screwed, but he’s lying. No First Nation would hire a redneck that still calls them Indians.
Tom must be from Calcutta.
Another redneck crook like Con Inky Marks busted yesterday with hundreds of rifles to sell….LOL
Another proof that Lawyers charge way too much for the work that they do. How can they believe that they are worth millions for a couple of meetings with a government that wants to give natives money? Nobody is worth that much money. And they should hot have given that much money to a few natives. They do not deserve that much. –
Keep in mind this is all our money…
Don’t work for Indian bands you will get screwed. I know that personally.
@ F*CK POLITICIANS! Are you stupid? They haven’t even been found guilty of treason. You just want to jail people without convictions?
THROW THE B*STARD IN JAIL FOR TREASON! ALONG WITH SMITH! Is there no one with balls to stand up and start jailing these azzholes?