Civil and Commercial Litigation

Buying a Century-old Property: An Extra Measure of Care Is Required

While looking for a home, you fall for a century-old residence: what should you do? Make sure you carry out certain verifications before closing the sale. Although the legal warranty of quality applies regardless of the building’s age, courts generally have more stringent expectations towards buyers of older properties. The Superior Court illustrated this in […]

Can You Slander a Candidate in an Election?

What are the limits of what can be said on social media about a candidate in an election? The question was answered in Laprise c. Simard, 2022 QCCS 1384, a recent decision by Justice Claude Bouchard of the Superior Court. The Facts The plaintiff is the candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in the […]

Evidence by Presumption: Utility and Pitfalls

This webinar was presented on June 16, 2022, as part of our firm’s annual lectures on insurance law. Description Property is stolen in a warehouse while the alarm system, unexplainably, was down. There is a suspect, an employee, but no one has seen him deactivate the alarm system or carry the property. Can we assume […]

Introduction to the Small Claims Process

This webinar was presented on June 13, 2022, as part of our firm’s annual lectures on insurance law. Description With jurisdiction on claims of $15,000 or less, the Small Claims Division of the Court of Québec hears nearly 15,000 cases each year. Whether the object is an account, bodily injury, latent defects, or an insurance […]

Sale Made at Your Own Risk: Is It Really Without Legal Guarantee?

The Honourable Steve J. Reimnitz of the Superior Court recently revisited the rules regarding fraud and the warranty for latent defects in the case of St-Pierre c. Benoit, 2021 QCCS 5491. The Facts In 2015, the plaintiffs purchased a property from the defendant built by the latter in 1993–1994. This contract was concluded following the […]

Application of Res Judicata to a Second Lawsuit for Abuse of Proceedings

On April 13, 2022, in Globe technologie inc. c. Rochette, 2022 QCCA 524, the Court of Appeal confirmed a judgment obtained by RSS before the Court of Quebec dismissing an action at the preliminary stage based on the notion of res judicata. The Court of Appeal maintained the position defended by RSS and concluded that […]

Claim for Latent Defects: Reminders of the Buyer’s Obligation of Prudence, Misleading Representations and Disclosure of Defects

On January 12, 2022, in Crooks c. Nguyen, 2022 QCCS 55, the Superior Court awarded a $115,000 reduction of the purchase price and granted $14,600 in moral damages to the buyers of a house affected by several defects. This case reminds us of several important points on the seller’s warranty of quality. The claim relates […]

Is a Recording Made Unbeknownst to a Party Admissible in Evidence?

That question was answered by the Superior Court in Droit de la famille — 2260, 2022 QCCS 136, a decision of January 18, 2022. The fact that the case was a family law dispute influenced the Court’s approach. Separating parents were arguing about custody and parenting time for their three-year-old daughter. At the hearing, the […]

Claim for Construction Defects: Legal Interest of a Syndicate of Co-owners and Starting Point of the Extinctive Prescription

On January 24, 2022, in 9104-2523 Québec inc.c. Syndicat des copropriétaires du 5701 de Normanville, 2022 QCCA 95, the Court of Appeal of Quebec affirmed a judgment that awarded $53,452.04 to syndicates of co-owners for the damages suffered by co-owners. The appellant is the builder of five buildings with residential units and shared parking spaces […]

Theft, Polygraph, and Presumptions: The Court of Appeal Sets the Record Straight

The Court of Appeal of Quebec has rendered a very important decision just before the holidays in Michael Bruni Transport Inc.c. Aviva Insurance Company of Canada, 2021 QCCA 1979, reversing a decision of the Superior Court  (2018 QCCS 3520) and ordering the insurer to compensate its insured for the theft of its truck. This judgment […]
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