Canada: Civil Law

Multi-party civil litigation can give rise to a situation where one or more parties resolve their disputes by way of agreement, while the proceeding continues against those parties who have not settled. These “partial settlement agreements” are a routine feature of complex litigation.

A years-long dispute between neighbours in Stouffville, Ontario escalated from a lawn mower incident to a civil trial involving claims of assault, defamation, and intrusion of privacy.

The Supreme Court of Canada has established a groundbreaking legal precedent by recognizing intimate partner violence as a distinct civil tort.

In Canada there are three ways to resolve a dispute: litigation, mediation, or arbitration. Each pathway carries distinct trade offs in cost, speed, privacy, finality, and enforceability.

The Supreme Court of Canada has established a comprehensive three-part framework for recognizing novel torts in Canadian law.

The Ontario Court of Appeal issued a landmark decision overruling the controversial Biancaniello framework governing disclosure of partial settlement agreements in multi-party litigation. Four consolidated appeals required the Court to reconsider whether non-disclosure automatically constitutes abuse of process and whether a mandatory stay is the only available remedy, fundamentally reshaping how Ontario courts will handle settlement disclosure obligations going forward.

Twelve years after the Supreme Court of Canada's landmark decision in Bhasin v. Hrynew, the principle of good faith has become central to contract law across common law Canada.

Professionals subject to a code of ethics may face disciplinary complaints. If they violate the rules governing their practice, their disciplinary council can impose penalties ranging from a warning or fine...

On April 23, 2026, the Information and Privacy Commissioner (“IPC”) issued a $2,000 administrative penalty under the Personal Health Information Protection Act...