Y. Pejman

The plaintiffs brought a motion to remove Friedman Law Professional Corporation (FLPC) as lawyers of record for the defendants due to an alleged conflict of interest.

FLPC had previously represented the plaintiff Keith Alexander in a family law application involving complex family and business disputes.

The court found that the prior retainer was sufficiently related to the current defamation action, which involved allegations of abuse and extortion related to the same family disputes.

The court concluded that FLPC likely acquired relevant confidential information during the prior retainer and ordered FLPC removed as counsel of record to protect the integrity of the justice system.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission brought a motion to lift the stay of proceedings under s. 69.4 of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act to continue actions enforcing foreign judgments against the bankrupt and the debtor.

The moving party argued the judgments arose from fraud or misappropriation and would survive discharge under s. 178(1).

The respondents opposed, citing a recent US Supreme Court decision and limitation period defences.

The court granted the motion, finding a fair issue to be tried regarding the limitation periods and the nature of the claims, but ordered that no enforcement steps be taken without further leave.