York University launched a lawsuit against its former assistant vice-president Michael Markicevic, accusing him of masterminding a $1.2 million fraud. The case was a year and a half old and not close to trial when Ontario Superior Court Justice D.M. Brown ruled on a preliminary matter and speculated that the final legal bills for the defendants might be more than $800 000. He wrote: “If we have reached the point where $800 000 cannot buy you a defence to a $1.2 million fraud claim, then we may as well throw up our collective hands and concede that our public courts have failed and are now open to the rich. ”What factors contribute to the high cost of justice? How could access to justice be improved?