Larissa Vermeersch

The plaintiffs brought a motion for approval of a class action settlement and class counsel fees.

The class action arose from allegations that the defendants' dental clinic failed to follow proper infection prevention and control practices, exposing patients to communicable diseases.

The court approved the settlement, which provides compensation to eligible class members, and approved class counsel's initial fee request of $250,000, finding both to be fair and reasonable.

The applicant sought judicial review of a decision upholding sanctions for research misconduct, which prohibited him from conducting research as a principal investigator, applying for grants, and permanently closed his research laboratory.

The applicant argued the decision failed to consider mitigating factors, including his unblemished record and status as a world-renowned researcher.

The Divisional Court dismissed the application, finding the decision reasonable given the systemic and persistent nature of the misconduct over a ten-year period.

The defendants brought a motion to strike the plaintiffs' Statement of Claim as an abuse of process.

The plaintiffs, two cancer researchers, had previously been investigated by the hospital for research misconduct, resulting in the closure of their lab.

They challenged these decisions through multiple administrative appeals and judicial reviews.

The court found that the civil claim, which alleged bad faith, conspiracy, and breach of contract, raised the same factual and substantive issues that were or could have been litigated in the administrative proceedings.

The motion was granted and the action was dismissed as an abuse of process.