Nina Perfetto

The appellants, purchasers of pre-construction homes, appealed a motion judge's order striking their claims against three directors of Vandyk, a company that acquired the failed development.

The appellants argued for a viable claim based on unlawful act conspiracy and that the motion judge erred in denying leave to amend.

The Court of Appeal found no error in the motion judge's analysis, affirming that the claims did not allege conduct by the directors outside their corporate roles and that it was plain and obvious no tenable cause of action was pleaded.

The appeal was dismissed, and costs were awarded to the appearing respondents.

The applicants (vendors) sought the release of $40 million from an $80 million escrow account, arguing that the respondents (purchasers) failed to provide timely and sufficient notice of an indemnity claim related to an undisclosed $213 million guarantee.

The respondents contended that proper notice was given, the deadline was tolled by agreement, and relief from forfeiture should apply.

The court dismissed the application, finding that notice was timely given to the vendors, the Tolling Agreement suspended any relevant deadlines, and the notice content was sufficient.

The court also stated that it would have granted relief from forfeiture due to the applicants' conduct and the disproportionate impact.

The applicants, senior secured lenders, sought the appointment of a receiver over the assets of "The One" mixed-use construction project due to financial and covenant defaults by the borrower.

The project, significantly delayed and over budget, had outstanding debt of approximately $1.235 billion.

The appointment of Alvarez & Marsal Canada Inc. as receiver was unopposed by any key stakeholder.

The court granted the application, appointed the receiver, approved a super-priority receivership funding credit agreement of up to $315 million, and issued a stay of proceedings, finding it just and convenient to stabilize the situation and maximize recovery for all stakeholders.

The respondents brought a motion to stay the applicant's oppression application, arguing the dispute was subject to arbitration clauses in the parties' unanimous shareholders' agreement and partnership agreement.

The applicant argued the dispute arose solely under a separate control agreement that lacked an arbitration clause.

Applying the competence-competence principle, the court found an arguable case that the dispute fell within the scope of the arbitration agreements and granted the stay, referring the matter to an arbitral tribunal to determine its jurisdiction.

The plaintiff sued its former defence counsel for professional negligence and negligent misrepresentation, alleging the lawyer misrepresented a settlement offer from the Crown in an underlying environmental prosecution, which led the plaintiff's insurer to cap coverage.

The defendants moved for summary judgment.

After a mini-trial to resolve credibility issues, the court found that the lawyer accurately reported the conditional nature of the settlement discussions and did not misrepresent the offer.

The court also found no conflict of interest and held that the lawyer acted reasonably and upon instructions in providing a case assessment memorandum to the insurer.

The summary judgment motion was granted and the action dismissed.

The landlord and tenant brought competing applications regarding the interpretation of a commercial lease renewal.

The tenant argued the lease renewed automatically, while the landlord argued a 2012 Renewal Agreement required the tenant to give six months' notice.

The court found that the tenant had established a claim for rectification based on unilateral mistake, as the landlord's agent had inserted the notice requirement without instructions and without drawing it to the tenant's attention, which amounted to unconscionable conduct.

The court ordered the lease rectified to reflect an automatic right of renewal.

The plaintiff, a physician, sued the defendant, also a physician, for physical and sexual assault.

The defendant alleged a prior consensual sexual affair and that the plaintiff's allegations were fabricated due to hospital privilege issues.

The court found the defendant's late disclosure of the alleged affair undermined his credibility.

Based on consistent plaintiff testimony, corroborating witnesses, DNA evidence from a rug matching the defendant's DNA from a mug, and an adverse inference drawn from the defendant's refusal to provide a DNA sample, the court found the sexual assault occurred.

The court awarded $175,000 in non-pecuniary damages and $25,000 in punitive damages, finding the assault was a material contributing factor to the plaintiff's psychological injury.