TORONTO — New court filings say Hudson’s Bay has threatened to end a lease deal it has with a B.C. billionaire who wrote directly to a judge twice to try to persuade him to view her favourably.

In a 50-page package Ruby Liu sent to Ontario Superior Court judge Peter Osborne, Liu says the company warned it could end their multimillion-dollar agreement to sell her 25 leases and forfeit her $9.4 million deposit.

She says the collapsed retailer advised her not to contact Osborne, but she felt compelled to because she wants him to understand a bit more about who she is.

One of the letters she sent Osborne described her upbringing in China and move to Canada before asking him to give her a chance and saying any transformation she brings to the Bay’s properties will create brilliance.

The missive warranted a letter from the office of the chief justice reminding Liu that parties in active cases should not, under any circumstances, reach out to judges.

Liu, who owns three B.C. malls and a golf course, struck two deals to buy Bay leases in May. The first covered three leases in malls she owns and was approved by a court, but the second is for 25 more leases and is being vehemently fought by landlords.

This report by Tara Deschamps of The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.