Montreal man returns from vacation, gets letter from Quebec government saying he's dead
After returning home from an extended vacation in Costa Rica, a Montreal man got the surprise of a lifetime in the mail — the Quebec government thinks he's dead.
In a 14-page letter from the Ministry of Justice, the government wrote that it is hoping to collect money from Nick Fatouros' estate for a speeding ticket. The problem is, Fatouros is very much alive.
"I was laughing. I said, 'Wow, that's news to me,'" he said in an interview at his home Thursday.
A letter stating Nick Fatouros is legally dead. (Submitted)
The 34-year-old says he contested a speeding ticket from 2022 and then left for an extended vacation in Central America.
"Completely forgot about it, came back and I got this letter," he said.
Fatouros said he was taken aback and is thankful his mother never saw it.
"If she would open this and I was off on my travels, God forbid, you know, she would say, what's going on?"
Fatourous says he tried to call the government to prove that he is actually alive but wasn't able to speak to anyone. "It's very hard to get through, very hard to get through," he said.
"Sometimes, it happens to have some mistakes like this, but it's really, really rare," said lawyer William Korbatly.
Korbatly says Fatouros needs to declare that he's alive — and quickly.
"It won't only affect this traffic ticket, it would affect all of his, you know, succession and everything," he said.
Fatouros says he just wants to prove that he is not a dead man walking.
"My next step is just to figure this out and tell them, look, maybe it was a mistake, a typo? Who knows?" he said.
The justice ministry did not reply to CTV News' interview request by publication time on Thursday. Shortly after 6 p.m., a ministry spokesperson said in an email that the mix-up was a case of "human error."
"The Collector of Fines mistakenly used a letter template used to correspond with an estate rather than the one normally used to communicate with a defendant. We apologize for the situation," the email stated.
"An appropriate follow-up will be made with the citizen."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING PM Justin Trudeau planning to oversee long-awaited cabinet shuffle on Friday: sources
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to shuffle his cabinet on Friday, sources confirm to CTV News. The long-awaited reconfiguration of Trudeau's front bench comes amid turmoil for the Liberal government after the shocking resignation of Chrystia Freeland, and as a few ministers juggle multiple portfolios.
Suspect in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO will return to New York to face federal charges
The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO was expected to face new federal charges Thursday once he arrives in New York, according to multiple people aware of the arrangements being made for an afternoon court appearance.
Potential scenarios for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals
The Liberal government was thrown into disarray this week when Chrystia Freeland stepped down from cabinet as finance minister, reviving calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down or call an election.
Will the Amazon strike impact Canadian deliveries?
As Amazon workers at several U.S. facilities begin a strike, Canadian shoppers are likely wondering how the job action will impact their deliveries.
Google Maps image provides clue in Spanish missing persons case
Chance images captured by a passing Google Maps camera showing a man leaning over a large bag or bags in a car trunk with what could be a human body gave police an extra clue in a murder investigation in the central Spanish village of Tajueco.
Toronto police officer dies after suspected medical incident while on duty
The Toronto Police Service has confirmed that one of its officers died while on duty on Thursday morning.
Gisèle Pelicot speaks after ex-husband found guilty of rapes, sentenced to 20 years in France
Gisele Pelicot spoke of her 'very difficult ordeal' after 51 men were all found guilty Thursday in the drugging-and-rape trial that turned her into a feminist hero, expressing support for other victims of sexual violence whose cases don't get such attention and 'whose stories remain untold.'
Nancy Karetak-Lindell, former MP, appointed as Nunavut Senator
The first person to ever serve as the member of Parliament for Nunavut is being appointed to the Senate.
'This shouldn't happen': Calgary family seeks changes after WestJet accessibility incident
A Calgary woman wants WestJet to apologize to her daughter and to improve staff training on accessibility after an incident during their latest trip.