Sued for $1.45M by Calgary art gallery, Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. denies all claims

Michelle Allan · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. is denying claims it defamed and breached a declaration with an Alberta creation assemblage by implying its works could beryllium fakes. 

In March, EA Studios (Jasper) Ltd., which operates retired of Calgary, launched a suit against Norval Morrisseau Estate alleging defamation and breach of contract. The assertion was filed successful Alberta's Superior Trial Court.

Cory Dingle says helium is the enforcement manager of Morrisseau's estate. He has spoken out to media outlets, including CBC, astir the profuse fraud of the precocious artist's work. 

The creation marketplace has been flooded with thousands of works falsely attributed to Morrisseau since the precocious 1990s, making it hard to authenticate and merchantability his paintings. Considered by galore to beryllium the Mishomis, oregon grandfather, of modern Indigenous creation successful Canada, helium was from Ojibway Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation successful northwestern Ontario and died successful Toronto successful 2007 astatine property 75.

EA Studios assemblage claims it had an statement with Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd., represented by Dingle. 

The statement included a request for EA Studios to beforehand Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. arsenic the definitive root for authenticating Morrisseau's works, says the assemblage successful its lawsuit. 

Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. would reassure imaginable customers that the paintings they wanted to bargain were authentic Morrisseau creations, and Dingle would get 10 per cent of immoderate palmy merchantability to clients helium referred to the gallery, according to the connection of claim.  

The suit claims Dingle did the nonstop opposite. Instead, it claims, Dingle implied EA Studios' Morrisseau paintings whitethorn be fakes, and suggested they acquisition authentic works straight from himself and/or Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd.

None of the allegations person been proven successful court.

In a connection of defence filed May 20, Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. said  it ne'er made this statement with the gallery.

"As determination was nary statement betwixt [the] plaintiff and the defendants, nary breach of immoderate declaration oregon statement arsenic alleged tin oregon did occur," said the statement.

It besides denied Dingle knew the paintings successful EA Studios' inventory were authentic oregon received straight from Morrisseau during his lifetime, contrary to the plaintiff's allegations.

Gallery says it hired investigators to airs arsenic buyers

EA Studios is besides suing Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. for defamation.

The creation assemblage claims Dingle's statements to imaginable buyers implied the assemblage "is, generally, an unethical enactment of debased motivation quality that sells inferior and perchance fake artworks that were obtained done an abusive, and perchance criminal, exploitation of a susceptible Indigenous artist," according to the claim. 

According to the gallery, Dingle besides claimed that helium was the lone root for purchasing authentic Morrisseau paintings, and that lone helium and the property had a reliable catalogue of genuine works, the suit alleges.

EA studios said it hired 2 backstage investigators successful October 2024 to airs arsenic imaginable buyers funny successful paintings successful its inventory aft becoming suspicious that Dingle was not holding up his extremity of the deal. It claims the backstage investigators had 2 calls with Dingle during which helium made defamatory statements that undermined the gallery's credibility and reputation.

Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. claims that Dingle spoke small oregon thing astir the assemblage successful October 2024, according to the written connection of defence. It besides says Dingle didn't accidental thing defamatory to the backstage investigators posing arsenic buyers. 

"In the lawsuit that Dingle provided defamatory statements to the backstage investigators, which is not admitted but specifically denied, the defendants authorities that determination were nary damages (economic oregon reputational) suffered by the plaintiff, arsenic immoderate specified backstage investigators were not successful the marketplace to acquisition a Morrisseau coating from the plaintiff," reads the statement.

WATCH | successful 2023, Cory Dingle said determination are Canada has go a fake creation 'dumping ground': 

EA Studios besides argues Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. defamed it successful a societal media station that said "'the lone authorized, ineligible prints of Norval's enactment connected the marketplace are those sold by the alleged estate.'"

The assemblage said this connection "implied that the galore authentic prints being sold by the plaintiff, and others, are fraudulent."

Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. counters that this was not defamation due to the fact that it did not straight place the assemblage successful its post.

"As the property holds the close of reproduction implicit each of Morrisseau's artwork, determination tin beryllium thing successful the societal media station which is adjacent implicitly defamatory." 

Estate assets not each distributed: defence claim

In its defence statement, Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. describes itself arsenic "a corp incorporated nether the laws of British Columbia successful bid to much efficiently negociate transactions connected behalf of Morrisseau's estate." 

The assets of Morrisseau's property person not been afloat distributed yet, it says.

Dingle was appointed arsenic an cause of the property by Gabor Vadas, a longtime person of the artist, and Morrisseau's children, says the statement. 

"Dingle is besides authorized to enactment connected behalf of the property successful narration to definite concern and operational matters."

Corporate records amusement Norval Morrisseau Estate Ltd. has a registered bureau successful Vancouver. The listed directors are Morrisseau's daughter, Lisa, and Vadas, who was adopted by Morrisseau successful accordance with the artist's shamanistic traditions. 

Vadas was the executor and sole beneficiary of Morrisseau's will. The property was aboriginal divided betwixt Vadas and Morrisseau's children successful an out-of-court settlement. 

"From Norval's decease on, Vadas did precise little, and thing effective, to halt the accumulation and circulation of the fraudulent works," says EA Studios successful the connection of claim. 

Vadas specifically denies that, Norval Morrisseau Estate says successful its defence statement.