In a recent decision, a five judge panel of the Court of Appeal for Ontario revised the legal test to be applied when the Ontario courts are asked to assume jurisdiction over a foreign defendant. The Court’s decision in Van Breda v. Village Resorts Ltd. clarifies the applicable legal principles and should provide greater guidance to Ontario courts on whether and when they can properly take jurisdiction over foreign defendants.

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There are few, if any, legal issues affecting the investment industry that are more cloudy and less certain than whether investment firm clients belong to the investment advisor or to the investment firm. And there are arguably few issues more important. This question has been the subject of several widely divergent – and even confusing – court decisions on the issue over the past few years.

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Ontario’s Court of Appeal upheld the trial decision in Drouillard v. Cogeco Cable Canada Inc. that held large cable operator Cogeco Cable liable for telling a cable subcontractor, Mastec Canada, that it would not allow its employee, Mr. Drouillard, to work on Cogeco equipment.

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Citing the Internet’s unique potential to cause harm anywhere and everywhere, Madam Justice Lax of Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice enforced a New York District Court judgment earlier this month against the operators of Ontario-based websites that facilitated the illegal copying and downloading of movies.

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In a recent decision, Ontario’s Divisional Court upheld an award of damages for pain and suffering to a couple who lost their beloved dog. In doing so, it refused to treat family pets as merely another piece of property.

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