Civil Litigation

  • June 29, 2026

    Trial delay is not neutral: Why Ontario’s civil court backlog prejudices plaintiffs’ claims

    Ontario’s civil courts continue to struggle with post-pandemic delays. The problem is not just administrative. In personal injury litigation — and especially in motor vehicle collision cases — delay changes the financial value of a claim. For plaintiffs, longer times to get to trial do not simply postpone compensation. They can reduce it.

  • June 29, 2026

    King Charles and the tax protesters: Why every argument fails in Canadian courts

    The voluntary nature of King Charles’s tax payments has already attracted misuse by tax protesters, who argue by analogy that if taxation is voluntary for the monarch, it must be voluntary for all. This argument has no validity under Canadian law. It is, however, only the latest iteration of a broader family of pseudolegal commercial arguments that Canadian courts have been rejecting for decades.

  • June 29, 2026

    WILLS - Executors and administrators - Proof of will in solemn form

    Appeal by appellant from an order pronouncing a 2016 will in solemn form. The deceased, Joseph Bernard Szikora, left his estate to his children and former spouse, the respondents, and made no provision for the appellant, his spouse since 1994, consistent with a prenuptial agreement. The respondents petitioned for proof of the will in solemn form.

  • June 26, 2026

    B.C. Court upholds certification of opioid class action against McKinsey

    The B.C. Court of Appeal has upheld the certification of a proposed class action against consulting giant McKinsey & Co. over allegations that it worked closely with opioid manufacturers and distributors to increase the sale and distribution of opioids in Canada for unsuitable uses.

  • June 26, 2026

    Rich or poor, it’s good to have money — for leverage in negotiations

    The first part of the title of this article is a quote from my mother, who has repeated these words as far back as I can remember. However, my minimalist effort to conduct research before I write stuff uncovered that the quote is attributed to some fellow named Alan Sheinwald. I really don’t know who stole it from who. But, as Mr. Hayes, my grade nine math teacher, used to say, “it makes no never mind.”

  • June 26, 2026

    Ontario law society benchers back new governance committee

    The Law Society of Ontario (LSO) has approved plans to establish a new standing committee on governance, despite concerns from some benchers that the move would concentrate too much power in the hands of committee members over law society operations.

  • June 26, 2026

    Decision a cautionary tale on joint ownership, vulnerable seniors, irrevocable gifts

    The recent decision in Ramotar v. Ramotar, 2026 ONSC 2153 by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice raises significant concerns regarding the protection of vulnerable seniors, the application of established legal principles and the risks associated with joint ownership as an estate planning tool.

  • June 25, 2026

    Family lawyers: Your clients’ AI chatbots are flattering them. And that’s a problem

    Somewhere right now, a client of yours is asking ChatGPT whether they were right to send that text to their ex. So, in all likelihood, is the parent on the other side of your current file, the one you’ve never spoken to and only know through their affidavits.

  • June 25, 2026

    Court varies $100K costs order in failed class action, plaintiff’s indemnity disputed

    The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has varied an order to make class counsel responsible for costs in a case where indemnity of the representative plaintiff in a failed class action was unknown.

  • June 25, 2026

    B.C. Court of Appeal expands the practical reach of liquidation relief

    The British Columbia Court of Appeal’s decision in Golden Spigot Pub Ltd. v. Eddy Ng Management Services Ltd., 2026 BCCA 231, strengthens liquidation as a practical remedy in disputes involving closely held corporations that function like partnerships.