PUBLICATIONS

Hemmings v Peng - the issue of remoteness of damage (“legal causation”) in the context of a medical malpractice claim. 

This paper was first published with Advocates' Quarterly in their September 2023 issue. The defence of novus actus interveniens is ringed in by various conditions and limitations to the extent that there is relatively little opportunity for its application. The major limitation is that it is unavailable where the later negligent conduct was reasonably foreseeable, "was the very thing that should have been anticipated", or "the very kind of thing which is likely to happen."

Following up our recent article on Business Interruption amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the March 30, 2020, Ontario Superior Court decision MDS Inc. v. Factory Mutual Insurance Company continues to remind us that the old adage, ‘you get what you pay for' rings loud and true...

While it has been “business as usual” for some Canadian companies and organizations, with employees working from home, many industries have been forced to cease operations or operate at reduced capacities...

There are various issues operating for an insurer, in both quantifying and crystallizing the terms of the loss, to determine if coverage is triggered pursuant to any given policy of insurance...
 

First published in the Advocates Quarterly. An overview of the major principles relating to duties of care, with a focus on whether and when the duty is owed by a public body.

It is not news to anyone that resolving civil claims is a long and costly process. A great deal of time and money is regularly lost due to the back-logged court system and legal expenses associated with mandatory procedure that must be followed, all while the procedure and jurisdiction of the court are not needed to come to a resolution. It is often in the best interests of insurers to resolve subrogated claims that are defended by insurers without the involvement of the courts.

The Canadian Inter-Company Arbitration Agreement ("the agreement") is an initiative designed to streamline claims disputes as between insurance companies who are signatories to the agreement. All insurance companies who are signatories to the agreement are therefore bound to comply with the obligations set-out therein. The process encourages efficient and cost-effective resolution to these claims.

This paper contains information regarding insurance provisions in the Condominium Act, 1998, along with terms and definitions.

On a practical level, causation simply means that the current condition or circumstances would be different had an act or omission not occurred. The alteration in circumstances can be positive, negative, or just a maintenance of the status quo.  The critical matter is that the situation would not be what it is had there been no act or omission; otherwise, the act or omission cannot be said to have had any effect on the current situation.  The “but for” test is merely another way of expressing this concept of change or difference in the current situation that would not otherwise have been present.