Alex Vigneault

The plaintiff corporation, acting without counsel, sued multiple defendants for fraud, breach of contract, and interference with contractual relations after a real estate transaction failed to close.

The defendants brought motions to strike the statement of claim and for security for costs.

The court set aside a noting in default against one defendant, finding the plaintiff had improperly requisitioned it.

The court struck the majority of the claims without leave to amend, finding they were frivolous, vexatious, and disclosed no reasonable cause of action.

The breach of contract claim against the property owners was struck with leave to amend.

The plaintiff was ordered to post $150,000 in security for costs before taking any further steps.

The appellant purchased a recreational trailer and left it for free storage with the respondents.

The trailer was stolen from the dealership.

The appellant sued for negligence, but the trial judge found the respondents were gratuitous bailees and met the standard of care, finding no negligence.

On appeal, the appellant argued the trial judge erred in determining the standard of care, failing to consider foreseeability of theft, and misapprehending expert evidence.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, affirming the trial judge's finding that the respondents were not negligent under any standard of care, had addressed foreseeability of theft with security measures, and did not misapprehend expert evidence regarding security improvements.

Following the dismissal of the plaintiff's action regarding a stolen RV, the successful defendants sought costs on a substantial indemnity basis, relying on a Rule 49.10 offer of $15,000.

The court found the offer was a token amount and not meaningful, awarding costs on a partial indemnity basis instead.

The court also reduced the claimed costs due to excessive preparation time billed by junior counsel, fixing the final costs award at $60,000 inclusive of HST and disbursements.

The plaintiff purchased an RV from the defendants and left it at their dealership for storage until his campsite was ready.

The RV was stolen from the dealership's lot.

The plaintiff sued the defendants for negligence as a bailee.

The court found that the defendants were a gratuitous bailee and therefore only liable for gross negligence.

After reviewing expert evidence on the dealership's security system, the court concluded the defendants met the requisite standard of care and dismissed the action.