Member Articles

THE FACTS OF THE CASEThe case has as its backdrop a family tragedy. On the morning of April 22, 2002, Martin Brossard went to the residence of his former spouse, Liliane de Montigny. Following a sequence of events, the order of which could not be determined from the evidence, he strangled his spouse and drowned their two children, Claudia and Béatrice, in the bathtub of the residence ...

The word litigation usually strikes fear into the hearts of the business community.  Litigation can be time-consuming and expensive.  Badly-managed litigation is a very painful experience indeed.  Managing litigation risk is therefore of huge importance for businesses.  But the challenge doesn’t start at the Court door ...

Late on Friday, November 19, 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported that federal prosecutors, the FBI and the SEC are in the final stages of an unprecedented three-year investigation into insider trading by consultants, investment bankers, hedge fund and mutual fund traders, and analysts.1 The SEC has already subpoenaed more than thirty hedge funds and investors, and some civil or criminal charges may be brought before the end of the year ...

ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2010, THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA ISSUED AN UNANIMOUS JUDGMENT IN THE CASE OF PROGRESSIVE HOMES LTD. V. LOMBARD GENERAL INSURANCE CO. OF CANADA(1) , REVERSING TWO LOWER COURT JUDGMENTS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA WHICH HAD CONCLUDED THAT THE INSURER, LOMBARD, HAD NO DUTY TO DEFEND THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR PROGRESSIVE HOMES, AGAINST A CLAIM FOR DEFECTS AND DAMAGES CAUSED BY WATER INFILTRATION IN FOUR BUILDINGS BUILT BY IT ...

On August 25th, the Court of Appeal, for the reasons of Justice Nicholas Kasirer(1), rendered a significant decision(2) with regard to the duty of care required from ski instructors and the assessment of damages awarded to a victim who developed a serious neurological disorder resulting from a ski accident.In their capacity as tutors of their child (referred to as “X” in the judgment), as well as in their personal capacity, Plaintiffs claimed damages for approximately $3 ...

Damage Insurance - Lavery, de Billy, L.L.P. - Canada Hidden Defect, Reduction in the Purchase Price and Liability Insurance Coverage On June 2, 2010, the Quebec Court of Appeal confirmed the Superior Court’s decision (per Justice Gill es Hébert), which dismissed the insured’s action in warranty against his liability insurer under his home owner’s policy ...

The Quebec Court of Appeal confirmed the Superior Court’s decision, which dismissed the insured’s action in warranty against his liability insurer under his home owner’s policy. The insured alleged that the purchasers’ claim for reducing the purchase price due to a hidden defect was covered under the liability insurance policy. The Facts   In April 2005, Plaintiffs, Bérubé and Marcil, purchased Johnston’s residence ...

Dear Sirs, On August 2, 2010 the Federal Law “On the alterations to the Arbitrazh Procedural Code of the Russian Federation” (“The Law”) was published ...

On June 2, 2010, the Quebec Court of Appeal confirmed the Superior Court’s decision (per Justice Gill es Hébert), which dismissed the insured’s action in warranty against his liability insurer under his home owner’s policy. The insured all eged that the purchasers’ cl aim for reducing the purchase price due to a hidden defect was covered under the liability insurance policy.(1)THE FACTSIn April 2005, Plaintiffs, Bérubé and Marcil, purchased Johnston’s residence ...

A new feature of the civil justice reform system came into effect on 1 January 2010, nine months into the revamp. Steven Yip and James Yeung report that the introduction of mediation, as prescribed by Practice Direction 31 ('PD 31'), is expected to have a profound impact on the way parties conduct cases ...

IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2010, THE SUPERIOR COURT RENDERED TWO INTERESTING DECISIONS IN CASES INVOLVING FIRES. WE WILL REVIEW THESE DECISIONS , WHICH HAVE A NUMBER OF FEATURES IN COMMON, INCLUDING THE CONSIDERABLE SUMS OF MONEY AT STAKE, THE LENGTHY TIME PERIOD BETWEEN THE LOSS AND THE TRIAL, AND THE NUMBER OF PERSONS INVOLVED IN THE CONDUCT OF EACH CASE.THE GOODFELLOW CASE: “THE DORMANT FIRE ”On August 22, 1998, a major fire broke out in Goodfellow Inc ...

In 2010, the legal services industry—and for that matter almost every industry—faces a new landscape that requires not only a different way of thinking but also a different way of doing business to ensure short-term survival and longterm success ...

Shoosmiths - EnglandWhat is disclosure? It is the stage of a dispute when each party is required to disclose to the other party the documents relevant to the issues in dispute. It normally takes place after each party has set out its position in their statement of case ...

“Therein the patient must minister to himself” (Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 3) With only seven days to go before the expiry on 1 April 2010 of the previous insurance block exemption, the European Commission adopted a new exemption, albeit in very much reduced form ...

The music, film and broadcast industries look set to get the robust protection from illegal peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing they crave, as the Digital Economy Bill moves closer to becoming law. It passed its third reading at the House of Commons on 7 April ...

Legislative Developments In July 2009, new rules came into force in Italy concerning class actions brought by consumers and final users who are the victims of unfair trade practices or anti-competitive conduct. Under the new rules, collective damages actions may be brought either by individual class members or by associations empowered by them or committees of which they are members for claims based on breaches of competition law ...

Dear Sirs, On March 11, 2010 the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev introduced in the State Duma the draft of Federal law No. 341071-5 “On alternative dispute resolution procedure by way of mediation (a mediation process)” ( “the Draft law”). It is to be applicable from January 1, 2011. View More