A Quebec court gave the green light on June 16, 2026, for a group lawsuit against Tim Hortons, Starbucks, and Second Cup. The claim: these coffee chains charged too much extra when customers asked for oat milk or other plant-based milk instead of regular milk. This is one of several lawsuits now facing Tim Hortons in Quebec.

Here's the pricing issue at the center of the case. Coffee chains charge customers extra for non-dairy milk. Tim Hortons charged customers 50 cents for the switch to oat milk, but the company's own cost was only 28 cents. The lawsuit says that gap is unfair. When a Quebec court approves a group lawsuit, it means the court believes enough people share the same complaint that it makes sense to handle it as one case rather than many separate ones. Approval does not mean Tim Hortons actually did anything wrong — it just means the case can move forward.

Store Owners vs. Head Office

The milk-price lawsuit is not Tim Hortons' only legal problem. Fifteen store owners who run Tim Hortons locations in Quebec sued the company in 2024. They say Tim Hortons made decisions about prices and supplies that hurt their profits by about CA$27 million. In June 2026, Tim Hortons filed its response in court. Instead of apologizing, The Globe and Mail reported, Tim Hortons said the store owners themselves were to blame, while also revealing details about how it sets prices throughout the system.

That court filing matters for a big reason. Most companies keep their pricing secrets private. But once a document enters the court record, anyone — competitors, regulators, or future plaintiffs — can see it. Now both the store owners and the customers suing over milk prices are pointing to the same pricing information from Tim Hortons' court filing. Store owners use it to argue the company was squeezing their profits. Customers use it to argue the company was charging unfair prices.

Tim Hortons and its parent company, Restaurant Brands International, have had these arguments with their store owners before. The disputes usually come down to how much each side pays for things — like advertising, renovations, and supplies. This Quebec lawsuit is the biggest formal fight in recent years.

An Email Problem Too

There is another lawsuit as well. A Quebec court approved a second group lawsuit in June 2025 against Tim Hortons over a different problem: emails about a promotion called Roll Up to Win were sent by mistake to loyalty program members. The Times Colonist reported the lawsuit covers Quebec customers. The harm here is smaller than the pricing dispute — wrong messages, not overcharging — but it adds to Tim Hortons' legal troubles in the province.

The company has also dealt with a lawsuit over privacy problems with its phone app, though that case is separate.

Why Quebec Is the Battleground

Quebec's court system makes it easier for groups of customers to sue companies together. The rules require a judge to believe the lawsuit asks fair questions and that many people have the same complaint — but the bar is set lower than in other parts of Canada. That is why multiple lawsuits have landed in Quebec. Court approval means a case can proceed, but it does not mean Tim Hortons will lose.

Tim Hortons is now managing three lawsuits plus the store owner dispute in one province. Evidence from the store owner case could show up in the customer lawsuits too. Both sides' lawyers are watching for that possibility.

As of June 20, 2026, Tim Hortons' parent company has not spoken publicly about the full picture of these legal problems.