Ryan Treleaven

The applicant sought costs following a successful application to enforce a New York judgment in Ontario concerning the sale of a painting.

The court had previously permitted enforcement of the foreign judgment but stayed execution pending the outcome of an appeal in New York.

The applicant requested costs on a substantial indemnity basis, arguing the respondent had repeatedly attempted to relitigate issues already decided and had engaged in delay tactics through multiple proceedings and appeals.

The court agreed that the respondent’s conduct justified substantial indemnity costs but reduced the amount claimed due to concerns about the involvement of multiple senior counsel.

Costs were awarded to the applicant in the amount of $94,298.28 inclusive of fees, disbursements, and HST.

The applicant sought enforcement in Ontario of letters rogatory issued by a court in Alabama to compel oral examinations of two Ontario residents for use in a U.S. class action proceeding concerning lender‑placed insurance fees.

The intervener, a defendant in the foreign proceeding, opposed the request on the basis that the proposed evidence would be duplicative, unnecessary, and obtainable elsewhere.

The court considered the statutory framework under the Evidence Act and the Canada Evidence Act, along with the discretionary factors governing enforcement of foreign letters of request.

The court found that the preconditions for enforcement were met and that the witnesses likely possessed relevant and unique firsthand knowledge not otherwise obtainable.

In light of international comity and the relevance of the proposed evidence, the court enforced the letters rogatory and ordered the examinations to proceed.