Publications
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Class actions to watch in 2024
Quebec is a fertile ground for class actions, with over 550 active cases and between 50 to 100 applications for authorization filed each year. While 2023 marked the fifth anniversary of the “new” class action division: what is there to watch in 2024? Read on to find out. Opioids and the State: (…)
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Insurers: Two-headed hydras
On January 30, 2023, the Court of Appeal of Quebec rendered a decision in Commission scolaire De La Jonquière c. Intact Compagnie d’assurance.1 The key issues in this case are the potential for conflicts arising from liability insurance policies and the obligation to disclose documents where (…)
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Loss of personal information: The Superior Court dismisses a class action
On March 26, 2021, the Superior Court rendered a decision dismissing a class action against the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (“IIROC”) on the loss of personal information of thousands of Canadian investors.1 The lack of evidence of compensable injury and IIROC’s diligent (…)
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A Decision of Interest to the Entertainment Industry
Is an event organizer responsible for an artist’s late appearance? Context is key, answers the Superior Court’s, as it dismisses the application for authorization to institute a class action against Gestion Evenko Inc.1 regarding Travis Scott’s late appearance at the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival (…)
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Cyberattack: Superior Court dismisses application for authorization to institute a class action against Yahoo! Inc.
The Superior Court of Québec dismissed an application for authorization to institute a class action against Yahoo! Inc.1 (hereinafter “Yahoo!”) seeking damages as a result of cyberattacks that compromised the confidentiality of user data. Context In September 2016, Yahoo! issued a press release (…)
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Consumer Law: the Time Decision, again
This publication was authored by Luc Thibaudeau, former partner of Lavery and now judge in the Civil Division of the Court of Québec, District of Longueuil. Consumer law and class action suits go well together. In the recent Girard1decision, the Quebec Court of Appeal, in an opinion by the (…)
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Class actions to watch for in the air transport sector
Many Canadians travel by airline. Aside from the pleasure of travel, certain inconveniences may sometimes occur, for both air carriers and passengers alike. A class action suit is often the preferred procedural vehicle for customers to assert their rights. Recent class actions authorized by the (…)
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Securities and class actions: screening authorizations
Anyone who wants to bring an action in damages relating to the secondary securities market must prove that the action is brought in good faith and has a reasonable chance of success (s. 225.4 QSA). In Quebec,1 as elsewhere in Canada,2 no prior disclosure of evidence may be obtained by plaintiff (…)
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Class Actions to Watch this Year
Year in and year out, the Superior Court of Quebec releases around 175 judgments in class actions matters, and 2017 was no exception. With two years having passed since the reform of civil procedure, the courts have had an opportunity to clarify the effect of a number of new provisions: the low (…)
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Québec consumer law and the automotive industry: keep your hands on the wheel!
Lavery recently attended the Strictly Automotive Seminar organised by the Defence Research Institute in Detroit, Michigan. The seminar addressed legal issues which the automotive industry is currently facing worldwide. This newsletter provides an overview of the legal principles vehicle (…)
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Class Actions - What’s on the radar for consumer class actions?
Over half of the applications for authorization to institute class actions filed in Québec since the beginning of 2017 are based on consumer law. There is no doubt that consumer class actions will continue to fuel discussions within the business and legal communities. We will continue to monitor the (…)
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Leave to Appeal by the Defendant at the Authorization Stage of the Class Action: the Québec Court of Appeal Adopts a Restrictive Approach
On November 22, 2016, the Québec Court of Appeal issued an unprecedented judgment on the application of article 578 of the New Code of Civil Procedure (“NCCP”) in the following cases: DuProprio inc. v. La Fédération des chambres immobilières du Québec, Énergie éolienne Des Moulins S.E.C. v. (…)
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Roaming fees: a long and winding road
On August 10, 2016, the Québec Court of Appeal authorized a class action pertaining to international roaming fees, thus reiterating, with renewed respect for the opposing view, that meeting the authorization threshold and the criteria respecting the representative’s interest is fairly easy under (…)