March 7, 2022

Flurries with a Chance of Slip and Falls: Best Practices...

The presence of ice during the winter in New Brunswick is not unusual. Neither are slip and falls. Every year, business owners run the risk that an individual might slip and fall on their property, suffer an injury, and bring a legal action against them, as the owner of the property, for damages. These damages […]

Manufacturers’ Defences to Product Liability Claims

Introduction Product liability law is the name placed on a combination of several branches of the law, including contract, tort, government regulation, damages, and insurance. It is based on the theory that consumers rely on producers and sellers to ensure products are safe for use. This leads to a wide range of claims, issues and […]

April 9, 2019

New Brunswick Court of Appeal Rejects Loss of Inheritance Claim...

Written by David G. O’Brien, KC. The recent decision of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal in Higgins v. Arseneau, 2019 NBCA 21, will be of interest for anyone involved with fatality claims in New Brunswick. The Court upheld the trial decision dismissing a claim brought on behalf of siblings for loss of inheritance arising […]

April 2, 2019

Court Denies Plaintiff’s Application for an Advance or Periodic Payment

In White v. Meiting,1 the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador denied a plaintiff’s application for an advance or periodic payment. In doing so, the court clarified the criteria which must be satisfied by a plaintiff who seeks an advance payment of special damages pursuant to Rule 44A of the Rules of the Supreme Court, […]

March 15, 2019

To Order an Advance Payment to a PEI Motor Vehicle...

In Fraser v. Runighan 2018 PESC 261, Chief Justice T. L. Clements of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island considered, for the first time on PEI, a motor vehicle accident plaintiff’s motion2 for an advance payment under Rules 20.10 – 20.12 (now Rule 22.1) of PEI’s Rules of Civil Procedure. Background Pursuant to Rule […]

The Importance of Plaintiff Credibility in Determining Causation

A recent Nova Scotia Supreme Court case, Gale v Purcell, 2018 NSSC 319, demonstrates how the credibility of a plaintiff can play a central role in assessing causation in a motor vehicle accident. Background On September 19, 2006, the Plaintiff, Angela Marie Gale (“Gale”) sustained injuries in a motor vehicle accident (“2006 MVA”). On March […]

Mitigation, Credibility and Deductions: A Case Comment on Ryan v....

In Ryan v. Curlew, 2018 NLSC 72, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador assessed damages in the context of a personal injury claim.

May 25, 2018

“Irreconcilable incongruity” in Plaintiff’s reporting disallows claim for loss of...

In Bent v. MacFarlane, contradictions in Bent’s self-reporting and her lack of attempt to seek a medical resolution to an alleged chronic pain syndrome proved extremely limiting to her claim for damages.

Legislation Protecting Innocent Co-Insureds Is Now a Reality in New...

Bill 30 – An Act to Amend the Insurance Act (the “Bill”) was introduced to the New Brunswick Legislature by the Honourable Cathy Rogers on December 16, 2017. The amendments were proposed in order to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to innocent co-insureds for property damage caused by an abusive partner and to enhance the protection of assets for victims of intimate partner violence.

Fraud of Homecare Administrator Survives Bankruptcy Discharge

Over the course of two years, a retirement home administrator by the name of Melissa Gibson-Heath stole $229,000 from an elderly resident of the retirement home where she worked, the Fairfield Manor East.