Civil and Commercial Litigation

On December 15, 2020, the Quebec Court of Appeal issued an important judgment concerning the short six-month time limitation period of s. 586 of the Cities and Towns Act [CTA] in Ville de Brossard c. Belmamoun, 2020 QCCA 1718. In August 2013, Plaintiffs Mohamed Belmamoun and Gaétan L’Heureux filed a Motion for authorization to institute […]

In the case of J. Noël Francœur inc. c. Industrielle Alliance, assurances auto et habitation inc., 2020 QCCA 1676, the Court of Appeal was called upon to interpret certain provisions of the Fire Safety Act [FSA], more particularly section 47 which contains an exemption from liability for persons who in certain circumstances assist firefighters during […]

The case of Brossard v. 2868768 Canada inc., 2020 QCCS 5097, is yet another cautionary tale about the hazards of doing business (and entering into a partnership) on a handshake. As simply stated by the Court, This case is the story of the purchase of a building located at 3510 de la Montagne Street in […]

Though the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms provides at section 12 the protection of an accused against imposition of “cruel and unusual treatment or punishment”, the Supreme Court has now held, in Quebec (Attorney General) v. 9147-0732 Quebec inc., 2020 SCC 32, that although the language specifies that such protection applies to “everyone” — a […]

The Quebec Superior Court ruling rendered on September 29 in Future Electronics Inc. (Distribution) Pte Ltd. v. Chubb Insurance Company of Canada, 2020 QCCS 3042 is the first Canadian decision, and only the second North American ruling, that has analyzed the interplay between the Social Engineering Fraud, Computer Fraud and Funds Transfer Fraud insuring agreements […]

The Superior Court’s decision in Compagnie d’assurances AIG du Canada c. Kenworth Québec inc., 2020 QCCS 1377, is a reminder of the principles applicable to the warranty against latent defects. In April 2014, a Kenworth vehicle belonging to the City of Shawinigan [City] and insured by Compagnie d’assurances AIG du Canada [AIG] caught fire and […]

On July 20, 2020, the Court of Appeal finally ruled on a controversy that had existed for several years in Quebec regarding the respect of the delays set out in the Civil Code of Québec [CCQ] for the surrender of property, in the context of a recourse undertaken by a secured creditor under the Bankruptcy […]

The saying “The King can do no wrong” is no longer unquestionable. If, at some point in time, decisions by the State could not be challenged, the evolution of law made it possible to have the courts review some of them under particular circumstances. Recently, in Maltais c. Procureure générale du Québec, 2020 QCCA 715, […]

Over the last month, activities in various sectors are gradually resuming and the re-openings are occurring in phases — as has been the case for our courts. You may recall that last March, ministerial orders were issued to order the suspension of numerous delays and limitation periods until the Government of Quebec announces the end of […]

On July 1, Michigan Circuit Court Judge Joyce Draganchuk heard a motion by teleconference via Zoom. However, the hearing and the summary judgment rendered on the bench were broadcast live on YouTube on behalf of Judge Draganchuk. It is therefore a first and it will be interesting to see if our Quebec Courts will admit […]