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Posts Categorized: Court Procedure
55 ResultsCOVID-19 Update: No In-Person Hearing Unless “Absolutely Necessary”
As 2020 draws to a close, the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel is in sight. Two vaccines have been approved and thousands of Ontarians have been vaccinated. However, the pandemic has not yet abetted and is potentially entering its most dangerous phase. The Superior Court of Justice is doing its part to…read more
The Father of My Children: Court-Ordered Paternity Testing
This blog was written by Tyler Lin, student-at-law In the Quebec case of Adoption – 091, Dubois J. made reference to the Latin maxim: “Mater semper certa est, pater incertus,” which means: the mother is always certain, but the father, uncertain. This phrase sums up the historical treatment of paternity before the relatively recent advent…read more
The Rights of a Surviving Spouse – Spousal Election
I just finished watching Mrs. America, the recent TV series that chronicles the fight by women in the 1970s to enshrine the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the US Constitution. First proposed in 1921, the ERA sought to mandate equality between men and woman. In 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but they could not obtain…read more
Mediation vs. Arbitration – What’s the Difference?
I am often asked what is the difference between mediation and arbitration. That question is usually followed by another: is one better than the other? In this blog, I will examine the differences between mediation and arbitration and outline some of the advantages of each. Mediation Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution. It…read more
A Not So Pleasant Dispute: Is Mount Pleasant A Charitable Trust?
Despite Mount Pleasant’s bucolic name, some of the issues surrounding the cemetery recently have been less than… pleasant. The decision to close for Mother’s Day (and the previous closure) due to COVID-19 was controversial. While maintaining social distancing is important, giving residents the ability to use midtown Toronto’s “Central Park” (as one city councilor referred…read more
Paying Funds Into and Out of Court
During the course of litigation, you may run into a situation where money is “paid into court.” Paying money into court is a way of protecting funds while the litigation is ongoing or until a minor reaches the age of majority. For example, where there is a dispute about who is entitled to insurance proceeds,…read more
Am I a Dependant? Can I Receive Support From the Estate?
Generally speaking, everyone is free to decide who will inherit their property after their death. This is called testamentary freedom. However, this right is not absolute; the law in Ontario (and elsewhere in Canada) imposes limits on testamentary freedom in certain circumstances, and in particular, where the will of the deceased excludes or fails to…read more
The Costs of Litigation and the Loser Pays Principle
When new clients embarks on litigation (to challenge a will or to remove an executor, for example), one of the first questions I am asked is whether they can recover their legal fees or costs from the estate or trust (as we all know, litigation can be expensive). The expectation is that the estate or…read more
Clash of the Limitation Periods
The Limitations Act, 2002, SO 2002, c 24, Sch B, brought order and clarity to limitation periods in Ontario. However, the Limitations Act did not displace all existing limitation periods established by statute. Several carve-outs which are particularly relevant to estates litigators includes the Real Property Limitations Act, RSO 1990, c L.15 and s. 38(3)…read more
The Final Countdown
As Justice S. Nakatsuru observed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s decision in Sinclair v. Harris, 2018 ONSC 5718, “[n]o one likes to see a limitation period applied to dismiss a case”. That being said, and as we will soon learn, even if they result in less than satisfactory conclusions, there are good reasons…read more