Russell Peters is suing his tax advisers over a $2.9-million tax bill
The comedian is seeking $6 million in damages
Canadian comic Russell Peters is suing two of his Toronto-area tax advisers after being hit with a massive tax bill in California.
The state is demanding $2.9 million in back taxes from Peters, plus applicable interest, alleging that he was a tax resident of California in 2012, 2013 and 2014—despite Peters having claimed to be domiciled in Nevada, which has no state income taxes.
Related: Bruce McCulloch’s best Kids in the Hall characters, ranked
In a lawsuit filed in the Ontario Court of Justice in December of 2025, Peters is accused his Canadian tax advisers, Fred Levy and Mark Feigenbaum, of negligence and breach of contract and fiduciary duties, reports the Globe and Mail. The lawsuit alleges that both advisers had everything they needed to show that Peters was a resident of California yet filed his taxes there as though he was an out-of-state resident.
When contacted by the Globe, Feigenbaum and a lawyer for Levy declined to comment as the matter is still before the courts.
Related: A timeline of the most outrageous moments from Tom Green’s legendary career
In 2017, California’s tax authorities determined that Peters was more of an LA guy than a Las Vegas guy by reviewing his credit card statements, which allegedly showed that over the three-year period in question, Peters spent at least 113 days in California but no more than 21 in his supposed home state of Nevada. Peters and his advisers appealed the decision but lost in July of last year.
It was that loss that led Peters to sue his advisers for $6 million in damages. His lawsuit claims the advisers assured him that their appeals would win without issue. Since both are based in the GTA, that means the case will be heard in an Ontario court despite the whole issue revolving around tax law in California and Nevada.
Two states and a province walk into a courtroom—there’s a joke in there somewhere.
Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto specializing in long-form magazine writing. He previously worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where he launched the Front Row newsletter. He regularly contributes all sorts of stories to the magazine, including deep dives on sports, business and housing as well as short-form commentary on our ever-changing city, from its obsession with cherry blossoms to its maddening NIMBYism. His work has also appeared in Maclean’s, Ricochet, TVO, the Trillium and more.
