In a decade-long litigation against Barry for a share of Apotex, the company he founded in 1974, cousins described his actions as "illusory generosity."
In court papers, the cousins alleged that Barry provided them with loans that were secured against their family homes, charged them "substantial interest," then sued them for recovery, "vigorously [prosecuting] those legal proceedings to the point of attempting to dispossess Julia Winter [a widow] and her young children from their family home."
Barry's cousin, Kerry Winter, for example owed him $7.9-million. When Mr. Winter defaulted on the loan, he had to surrender three houses in 2008, which Barry resold in power-of-sale transactions. The same fate befell Toronto businessman Stephen Mernick, who owed Barry $736,000. "At no time did I ever advise Mernick that I would not take possession of the property in the event of his default," Barry said in a court affidavit.