The trial judge ruled that the Irving family did have too much control of the New Brunswick media, and that the Moncton papers should be sold. He also ordered K.C. Irving Ltd. to pay a fine of $150,000. However, the ruling was overturned, first by the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick and then by the Supreme Court of Canada, on the ground that "public detriment" as a result of the monopoly had not been established "beyond a reasonable doubt".
