Organizations today face the prospect of costly and time-consuming litigation when a dispute arises; if a company loses its case, its very survival can be at risk.
Companies facing lawsuits need the help of legal experts trained in all aspects of commercial litigation, from contract disputes to defamation. Cassels Brock has recognized expertise in resolving complex legal problems quickly and cost effectively.
Cassels Brock's commercial litigators represent clients at all levels of federal and provincial court including the Ontario Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. Our clients span numerous economic sectors, including educational institutions, financial institutions, government, individuals, insurance companies, manufacturers, retailers, brokerages and franchisors.
Our expertise encompasses all types of commercial litigation, and we pride ourselves on developing inventive and efficient means of resolving our clients’ unique problems. We represent our clients' interests in matters such as:
- Contract issues, including enforcement and interpretation
- Negligence actions
- Defence of class-action suits
- Bankruptcy and insolvency litigation
- Intellectual property actions relating to trade-marks, copyright, patents and confidential information
- Shareholders disputes
- Administrative law matters
- Real estate litigation, including mortgage enforcement actions
- Defamation actions
- Securities regulatory and litigation matters
- Franchise litigation
- Tax litigation
Our commercial litigation lawyers have been involved in many prominent and unique cases including:
- Successfully represented an emerging junior oil & gas company in a $16 million judgment against an investment banking firm for an incomplete bought deal.
- Winning the dismissal of an appeal by a commercial landlord on behalf of one of Canada's largest coffee and baked goods chains and its franchisee
- Winning the dismissal of a motion to certify a class action against a university
- Fending off a shareholder rights action in connection with a merger and acquisition involving a large public company
- Participating in the negotiation of the settlement of the Indian Residential School class action. Estimated to be worth over $3 billion, it is one of the largest class action settlements in Canadian history
- Defending a major Canadian actuarial firm in an action alleging the negligent actuarial evaluation of a professional liability insurance program
- Acting for a widow and the estate of her late husband in extinguishing a debt and a collateral mortgage under a line of credit issued by a financial institution, as a result of the financial institution's improper handling of a line of credit and the life insurance relating to it
- Obtaining an injunction on behalf of a university that prevented an employee who had defrauded the university from disposing of assets pending a trial of the action
- Successfully prosecuting an application brought on behalf of the client, a significant preference shareholder in an Ontario corporation, and obtaining a $1.8-million judgment in the client’s favour
