The defendant psychologist brought a motion for summary judgment dismissing a professional negligence claim arising from a psychological assessment conducted for litigation purposes.
The plaintiff alleged negligent misdiagnosis and damages stemming from being labelled as suffering from a delusional disorder.
The court held that professional negligence claims require qualified expert evidence establishing the applicable standard of care and causation.
The plaintiff relied on reports from individuals not qualified to provide expert opinions on the standard of care of a psychologist practising in Ontario and none addressed breach or causation.
In the absence of admissible expert evidence, the claim had no reasonable prospect of success and was dismissed.