Subjective Intention Doesn’t Matter
April 30, 2024 By Jonathon Clark That eye-catching headline is a bit misleading. In criminal litigation, subjective intention – whether the accused meant to commit the offence- might be important (though not always). In civil litigation involving contracts, which is one of our areas of practice, there is a key difference between “subjective “ intention […]
What Is A “Matter OF Public Interest”?
April 25, 2024 By Brian Babcock We have written before explaining anti-SLAPP motions in Ontario. THE ISSUE The test for a defendant to have a SLAPP action dismissed against requires them to prove that their statement under attack arises from a “matter of public interest”. The courts continue to refine our understanding of this requirement. […]
A Contract On A Napkin?
April 23, 2024 By Nick Melchiorre “An oral contract is worth the paper it is written on” is an old saying. Not quite accurate, but it does illustrate the difficulty convincing a judge that a binding deal was reached if it not out in writing. We have written before about the importance of getting it […]
COVID and Constructive Dismissal
April 18, 2024 By Brian Babcock Cases related to loss of employment due to COVID shutdowns continue to work their way through the system. Employers generally do not have a right to layoff employees but some employers saw it differently during the COVID shutdowns. THE ISSUE There may be a “COVID bump” increasing damages in […]
Beware The “Use” Clause In Your Lease
April 16, 2024 By Mark Mikulasik Commercial leases typically contain a clause which restricts the type of use that the tenant can have in the leased property. If the use designated is too narrow, this can come back to bite the tenant. The use clause in Metro 1 Development Corp. Ltd. v. Michael Garron Hospital […]
Doing Repair and Storage Liens Right
April 11, 2024 By Nick Melchiorre The law of possessory liens in Ontario is governed by the Repair and Storage Liens Act. This law attempts to balance the rights of owners and creditors. THE ISSUE It is a complex act and relying on self-help remedies or not doing the paperwork properly, may lead to costly […]
High Conflict Estates Cost A Lot
April 9, 2024 By Jonathon Clark An estate trustee has a right to be indemnified for its proper costs and expenses. An estate trustee may be removed pending the passing of accounts, but they are entitled to have a holdback set aside to cover their costs of passing accounts. The passing of accounts is the […]
Gift or Trust?
April 4, 2024 By Brian Babcock We have written before about resulting trusts, and the case of Pecore v Pecore which says that when you give a gift to an adult child, the presumption in law is that you are transferring only the legal title and that you are still the beneficial owner. THE ISSUE […]
If You Need To Sue
April 2, 2024 By Jonathon Clark We recently wrote an article about what to do if you are sued. But what about if you want to sue? Or more likely, need to sue. Very few people really want to sue. But if you are owed a debt; suffer a personal injury; lost your job; or […]
When Time Is Of The Essence
March 28, 2024 By Mark Mikulasik In our modern casual world, we seldom need to be precise about being on time. Thus, we develop bad habits. THE ISSUE But what about when “time is of the essence” under the terms of a contract? THE CASE In 3 Gill Homes Inc. v. 5009796 Ontario Inc. (Kassar […]