The latest Quebec appointee to the Supreme Court of Canada battled the Quebec tax agency for years for the right to deduct more than $200,000 worth of clothing and other personal expenses, court documents show.

The documents, obtained by the Journal de Montreal, show Justice Suzanne Côté tried to claim about $50,000 a year in clothing expenses over three years, from 2004 to 2006.

She also claimed more than $25,000 during that time in "personal care" and other expenses.

According to the newspaper, the documents reveal that Côté made claims for tax deductions totalling $204,685 that were rejected by the Quebec tax agency. 

Côté, a top corporate litigator in Quebec, went to court to defend the claims against the Quebec revenue agency in 2009. Her case was settled out of court in 2012. The details of that settlement have not been made public.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office, Carl Vallée, told the Toronto Star that "the matters between Justice Côté and Revenu Québec were resolved years ago."

Côté was named to the top bench last month to fill the vacancy left by Justice Louis LeBel after his retirement on Nov. 30.

Corrections

  • This article has been edited to remove a reference to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's failed attempt to name Federal Court Justice Marc Nadon to the court. In fact, Justice Clément Gascon was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada to fill the vacancy left by Justice Morris Fish, the position for which Nadon had been intended.

    Dec 18, 2014 9:53 AM ET