Civil Litigation
-
September 29, 2025
Ontario to raise small claims court monetary limit to $50,000
As a litigation associate, I have come to appreciate that big challenges do not always involve large sums. My experience in handling a broad range of commercial, insurance and collections disputes in Ontario’s small claims court has taught me that claims with smaller monetary amounts can present legal and factual complexities comparable to those in the regular stream of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
-
September 29, 2025
Ontario privacy ruling a ‘wake-up call’ for hospitals, children’s aid societies: legal expert
An Ontario court has sided with the province’s information and privacy commissioner over notification requirements after separate data breaches at a Toronto hospital and a children’s aid society in the GTA, rejecting a narrower interpretation of the duty argued by both organizations.
-
September 29, 2025
Sara Romeih joins Aird & Berlis
Sara Romeih, who was called to the Ontario bar in 2020, has joined the litigation and dispute resolution group at Aird & Berlis.
-
September 29, 2025
Arbitrator’s disclosure back in the spotlight with SCC’s dismissals in Aroma and Vento, part two
The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed on Sept. 18, 2025, an application for leave to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision in Vento Motorcycles, Inc. v. Mexico, 2025 ONCA 82.
-
September 26, 2025
Ontario opening of the courts ceremony highlights digitization, reform of Rules of Civil Procedure
On Sept. 25, judges, attorneys general, leaders of law associations and others met for Ontario’s opening of the courts ceremony, discussing various strategies that have been and will be undertaken to improve access to justice. This included digitization and reformation of the Rules of Civil Procedure.
-
September 26, 2025
CIBC, Renaissance Mutual Funds reach $11M settlement in trailing commissions class action
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), CIBC Trust Corporation and Renaissance Mutual Funds have agreed to pay $11 million to settle a class action alleging that they improperly paid trailing commissions to discount brokers from mutual fund assets leading to diminished returns for investors.
-
September 26, 2025
Landmark Canadian cryptocurrency platform takedown: A look at the other side of digital coin
The RCMP’s recent seizure of the controversial cryptocurrency exchange TradeOgre, alongside over $56 million in crypto assets, marks a watershed moment in Canadian digital finance regulation and risk management. As authorities pat themselves on the back for this law enforcement success story, the operation also sparks uncomfortable debate about due process, the collateral damage to non-criminal users and the regulatory minefield that risk managers in the digital asset sector must navigate.
-
September 26, 2025
Arbitrator’s disclosure back in the spotlight with SCC’s dismissals in Aroma and Vento
The Supreme Court of Canada has recently issued its verdicts on two conflicting decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario regarding the setting aside of two international arbitration awards, on the grounds of arbitrators’ bias.
-
September 26, 2025
Nearly $2 million awarded in landmark online defamation case
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice released its decision in Canadian Aids Treatment Information Exchange et al. v. Blackwell, 2025 ONSC 4678 on Aug. 19, 2025, granting one of the largest awards ever issued in a Canadian defamation lawsuit.
-
September 25, 2025
B.C. court narrows herbicide class action, strikes battery and general damages claims
The B.C. Court of Appeal has narrowed a class action alleging that exposure to paraquat in herbicides increased the risk of Parkinson’s, ruling exposure cannot ground a battery claim and that a common issue on general damages could not be addressed on a class-wide basis.