In a recent decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal, the court turned its attention to a frequently encountered issue in civil litigation: under what circumstances should an action be dismissed for delay by the court following a status hearing? The appellant (plaintiff) appealed a lower court order dismissing the action for delay after a status hearing. […]
In our rapidly aging society, powers of attorney for personal care and property are now widespread and their importance is recognized by the general public. A family member or friend can also apply to the court to be appointed guardian of the person or the person’s property if powers of attorney have not been executed.
Introduction In an earlier edition of Deadbeat,[1] I wrote a case comment on the decision of Greer J. granting partial summary judgment in the Estate of Paul Penna.[2] The decision was appealed. As recently reported in the Ontario Reports, the Court of Appeal (“C.A.”) dismissed the appeal.[3] What follow is a consideration of the C.A.’s
I recently attended a client meeting where the issue of mediation was hotly debated. My client expressed reluctance in participating in a process with a party that my client regarded as intransigent and obstinate. My client also thought that proposing mediation would suggest to the other side that our case was weak and we were
Mediation is a common occurrence in estate litigation. Mediation is also popular in other areas, including family law and even commercial litigation. When choosing a mediator, I look for the following characteristics: Knowledgeable (has to know the law) Experienced at mediating (too many “wannabes”) Litigation savvy (knows the true costs and challenges of litigation) Empathetic
