Litigation

Judges will do all they can to prevent a lawsuit from falling at the first hurdle, but their patience has limits. When launching their legal cases, many non-lawyers picture the process ending in vindication following their day in court. In reality, only a tiny...

Although recent interest rate hikes have taken the edge off Toronto’s notoriously wild housing market, prices are still high enough that co-ownership with family or friends remains an increasingly conventional choice for prospective buyers who see no other route onto the property ladder. When co-owners fall out over a house, emotions run high and it’s often hard for them to agree on anything again. And while Ontario’s Partition Act provides a mechanism for the division and sale of a property, litigants (and their counsel) are often wary of pushing for a court-ordered sale until they have worked out some of the other details in dispute — such as the list price, the listing agent, or liability for outstanding property taxes and other bills associated with the home.

Commercial property deal collapse costs vendor $11 million   The prospect of compensation for lost profits means it’s not just buyers who must beware when a commercial real estate deal collapses — sellers found responsible for the failure to close could find...