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TORONTO — Tim Hortons franchisees who created an association to address their grievances with parent company Restaurant Brands International Inc. have filed an $850 million class action lawsuit against the company, alleging the fast food operator is trying to intimidate its restaurant owners and force the franchisees who formed the group out of their restaurants.

Filed on Friday, it marks the second class action lawsuit from unhappy Tim Hortons store owners this year against their corporate parent. The legal action comes after months of escalating animosity between management and franchisees who have taken the veteran brand’s Brazilian-based owners to task for allegedly passing added costs on to the store owners.

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“Since the time of the corporate takeover of Tim Hortons, the relationship between Tim Hortons and its franchisees has become more adversarial than amicable,” says the statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court on behalf of two store owners, one in Ontario and one in Alberta, who are board members of the Great White North Franchisee Association.