Background: Lucia resides in Ontario with her family, and was involved in a car accident in Michigan. She brought suit in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against the driver and owner of the vehicle, as well as her own insurer given that the Michigan defendants claimed the accident was caused by an unknown vehicle. […]
Lucia’s Case: Appeal, Civil Litigation, Jurisdiction and Forum non Conveniens Read More »
Background: Patrizia was driving to work early on a snowy morning in April. The roads in Milton were snow covered and slippery. Weather forecasts from the day before predicted an 80% chance of snow, yet the Town of Milton had not scheduled an evening patrol to monitor the roads and clear the snow. Tragically, as
Patrizia’s Case: Appeals, Civil Litigation, Negligence and Minimum Maintenance Standards Read More »
Background: F.A. worked in a medical facility with a much younger female co-worker. There was flirting between them. They went out together one evening, meeting up in a park and later driving around in F.A.’s car. He said he had a surprise for her at the office so they parked close by. Instead of going
F.A.’s Case: Criminal Law, Appeals, Sexual Assault and Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Read More »
Background: Heather suffered serious medical problems from mould and other toxins present in Government owned housing in which she resided in the 1980’s. She hired a law firm to represent her in the proceeding. Unfortunately, they failed to take action within the limitation period for doing so, with the result that Heather had to seek
Heather’s Case: Appeals, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury and Rules of Civil Procedure Read More »
The purpose of an award of damages in a wrongful dismissal action is to compensate the employee for breach of the implied term of the employment contract to provide reasonable notice of termination. In the seminal case of Bardal v. Globe & Mail Ltd. (1960), 24 D.L.R. (2d) 140 (Ont. H.C.J.) McRuer, C.J.H.C. set out a list
Damages for Mental Distress in Employment Law Cases after Keays v. Honda Canada Inc. Read More »
For as long as anyone can remember, judges have had a discretion to strike out a jury where the complexities of the case warrant it, the rationale being that judges are better able by training and experience to understand and process difficult issues. The Administration of Justice Act, 1877, section 255, provided that: “Notwithstanding anything in
Is There a Constitutional Right to a Jury in Civil Cases? Read More »
Canadians are justifiably proud of the integrity of their judicial officers. The removal of a Federally appointed Superior Court judge for misconduct is exceedingly rare. There has been only one such instance in Canadian history, dating back to 1967. On December 3, 2008, the Canadian Judicial Council, by a vote of 17-4, decided not to
The Quality of Mercy and the Case of Justice Ted Matlow Read More »
The old adage “innocent until proven guilty” could soon become a phrase of the past. In August, a Montreal Court was scheduled to handle the first criminal case involving the new reverse onus law. The Reverse Onus law is a recent amendment to the Canadian Criminal Code that went into effect May 2008. The law
New Reverse Onus Law Could Change the Face of the Canadian Criminal Law Read More »
The Globe & Mail is reporting today on a case of alleged corruption involving participants in the Ontario justice system. The case started out as an investigation into fraud at Bombardier Inc. and has since expanded to include a member of the Ontario Provincial Police and a Toronto Crown Prosecutor. Included among the charges against
Disturbing Allegations Read More »
It is a fundamental aspect of our civil justice system that parties to a lawsuit are required to make available to their opponent any relevant document relating to the matters in issue in the action. It does not matter if the document helps or hurts the cause, it must be produced. Lawyers, and particularly insurance
Beware of Facebook Read More »
