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An Introductory Deskbook for Insurers. Fifth Edition - PDF
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1 An Introductory Deskbook for Insurers Fifth Edition2 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword...1 The Judicial Framework: Courts, Judges, and Lawyers...2 The Legal Basis of the Claim: Contracts, Torts, and Limitation Periods...6 Procedural Steps in a Lawsuit...9 The Award: Damages, Interest, and Assessable Costs Motor Vehicle Accident Insurance: The Basics Alberta Insurance Reform Legislation The Mediation Process: An Effective Alternative? The Workers Compensation Board Subrogation Hospitals Act Minor s Settlement File Advancement What Can an Insurer Do? Conclusion Parlee McLaws LLP Fall, 20114 5 FOREWORD Although a relatively small percentage of insurance claims actually end up in litigation, legal costs may be one of the most significant entries on the expense side of the insurer s ledger. It is important, therefore, for claims personnel to have a fundamental understanding of the litigation process and the role of legal counsel. This manual is intended to assist claims personnel in the effective management of their files. If you have any questions arising from this handbook or regarding any other aspect of the insurance litigation process, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Parlee McLaws LLP Insurance Litigation Practice Group. A list of the members of this group from our Edmonton and Calgary offices is found below. For more information, please visit our website at Jerri Cairns (Chair of Litigation Practice Group) Paul Anderson Michelle Andresen Kate Andrews Charles Ang Kenneth Bailey Q.C. Krystal Bainbridge Kim Bufton Peter Cline James Early Stefanie Erickson Laura Freeman Connor Glynn Allan Guty Karen Ivanovic Gregory Jaycock Shannon Kelley Sarah King Stephen Kligman Erin Lafuente Steven Marcellus Justin Matthews Robert McBean Q.C. James McGinnis Wendy Moody Sean Myskiw James Neilson Q.C. Shayna Risseeuw Katie Robinson Kyle Runzer Anthony Slemko Kyle Stowkowy Brenda Tsukishima Ian Wachowicz David Wedge Richard Wilson Q.C. Chris Zelyas Parlee McLaws LLP 16 1. THE JUDICIAL FRAMEWORK: COURTS, JUDGES, AND LAWYERS THE CANADIAN COURT SYSTEM Just as the Canadian political system is divided into distinct federal and provincial levels of government, the Canadian judicial system provides for distinct federal and provincial courts. The following diagram sets out the hierarchy of the court system as it exists in the Province of Alberta: Supreme Court of Canada Alberta Court of Appeal Federal Court Appellate Division Trial Division Alberta Court of Queen s Bench (Surrogate Court) Provincial Court of Alberta Criminal Division Youth Division Family Division Civil Division FEDERAL COURTS The Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Canada are federal courts and both are constituted pursuant to federal statutes. Justices are appointed by the Federal Government. The Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada is constituted by the Supreme Court Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. S-26. It deals exclusively with appeals involving issues of law. Evidence is not presented before the Supreme Court and witnesses do not appear. The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest Court in the land. There is, however, no absolute right of appeal, except in criminal cases where there is a dissenting opinion. To have a particular matter heard, an application for leave (or permission) to appeal must be made. As a general rule, the Supreme Court will refuse to hear any matter that is not of national significance. In addition to the foregoing, the Supreme Court of Canada has a rather unusual jurisdiction respecting references. This jurisdiction permits the Court, on the request of the Federal or Provincial Governments, to give opinions with respect to the constitutionality of proposed legislation. 2 The Litigation Process in Alberta7 The Federal Court of Canada The Federal Court deals with government matters, including: 1. claims against the Crown; 2. various matters involving armed forces and armed forces personnel; 3. citizenship appeals; 4. income tax appeals; and 5. federal, provincial, and inter provincial disputes (upon agreement of the legislatures). Except for claims involving the Federal Government, an insurer s involvement with the Federal Court is likely to be extremely limited. PROVINCIAL COURTS The jurisdiction of provincial courts is defined by provincial legislation. In Alberta, there are three different levels of provincial courts: 1. the Alberta Court of Appeal; 2. the Court of Queen s Bench of Alberta; and 3. the Provincial Court of Alberta. The Alberta Court of Appeal As the name suggests, the Alberta Court of Appeal deals exclusively with appeals from the lower courts. Except in rare cases, no original evidence is heard and no witnesses are presented before this court. The Court Of Queen s Bench of Alberta The Court of Queen s Bench is the court with which insurers are most familiar as all major civil cases are tried at this level in Alberta. The practices and procedures of the Court of Queen s Bench are set forth in a manual called the Alberta Rules of Court, Alta. Reg 124/2010. From the time of issuance of a Statement of Claim (the court document which initiates most civil actions) until the conclusion of trial or appeal, procedural steps in the lawsuit are governed by the Rules of Court. The Court of Queen s Bench deals with: 1. all civil matters over $25, (except those limited matters in which the Federal Court has exclusive jurisdiction); 2. serious criminal offences; 3. administrative law matters; and 4. appeals from the various divisions of the Provincial Court. The Justices of the Court of Queen s Bench and Court of Appeal are appointed by the Federal Government. Upon proclamation of the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, R.S.A. 2000, c.16 in 2001, the Surrogate Court falls under the umbrella of the Court of Queen s Bench. The functions of the Surrogate Court, however, remain the same, dealing primarily with: 1. matters involving guardianship; 2. testamentary matters (i.e. wills); and 3. estate probate. Parlee McLaws LLP 38 The Provincial Court of Alberta The Provincial Court of Alberta is constituted by the Provincial Court Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. P-31 and its Judges are appointed by the Provincial Government. Generally speaking, the Provincial Court deals with: 1. most civil claims under $25,000.00, except for: (a) matters involving title to land; (b) malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, defamation, criminal conversation, seduction, or breach of promise of marriage; (c) actions against Judges, Justices of the Peace, or Peace Officers; and (d) actions involving a local authority or school board for the recovery of taxes. 2. criminal matters involving summary conviction offences or less serious criminal offences; 3. some youth matters; and 4. some family matters. The Civil Division of the Provincial Court of Alberta is most often referred to as the Small Claims Court. The Court s procedural rules are much less stringent than the procedural requirements of the Court of Queen s Bench. Unrepresented litigants often bring claims before this court. The purpose of the Provincial Court is to provide litigants with access to an expeditious and inexpensive litigation process. The Judges in the Civil Division of the Provincial Court often attempt to have parties negotiate a settlement of their claim rather than bring the matter to a Provincial Court trial. Accordingly, most parties in a Provincial Court action must either attend a Pre Trial Conference or private mediation prior to a Small Claims trial. Since the monetary limit of the Small Claims Court was raised to $25,000.00, more insurance related matters can now be dealt with at the Provincial Court level rather than the Court of Queen s Bench. THE DOCTRINE OF STARE DECISIS The doctrine of stare decisis requires Judges of lower courts within a province to follow the previous decisions (the precedents ) of higher courts. If the higher court has dealt with a particular issue in the past, the lower court Judge will be bound to follow that decision. Except for cases from the Supreme Court of Canada, which bind all courts, decisions from courts of other jurisdictions are not binding upon the courts in Alberta. These decisions may, however, have persuasive value in the sense that the Alberta court may concur with the other courts analysis. The Role of Judges The Judge plays a passive and impartial role as arbitrator in trial and in chambers. A Judge s role has been expanded to also include participation in Judicial Dispute Resolution and in case management. The Role of the Lawyer The Legal Profession Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. L-8 permits the legal profession to be a self governing body. The Law Society of Alberta is responsible for overseeing the activities and administration of the profession, including matters of ethics, discipline, professional liability insurance, and 4 The Litigation Process in Alberta9 competence. The standards of conduct that must be adhered to by lawyers are contained in the Code of Professional Conduct and the rulings of the Law Society of Alberta. The Law Society of Alberta is managed by an elected Board of Directors known as Benchers who regulate the activities of the profession. The discipline committee deals with infractions of lawyers legal and ethical obligations. Punishment of offending lawyers can range from fines and reprimands to disbarment from the profession. The legal profession in Alberta carries compulsory insurance against errors and omissions. Additionally, all lawyers in Alberta contribute to an assurance fund. This is a fund set aside by the Law Society for the purpose of compensating individuals who have sustained loss as a result of intentional misconduct by lawyers. The rules of the Law Society do not allow lawyers to hold themselves out as experts in any part of the law. The Law Society does, however, provide for a mechanism whereby an individual lawyer is entitled to restrict his or her practice to a particular area of the law. THE EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF LEGAL COUNSEL It is good management for insurers to supervise the activities of their legal counsel. The following are a few suggestions for claims personnel to consider: determine the hourly rate charged by each lawyer; ensure that your files are matched with the lawyer having the appropriate experience and expertise; require junior lawyers or students at law to be used whenever possible for appropriate tasks, such as research, document reviews, and attending simple motions; after retaining legal counsel, request their written comments respecting coverage, liability, quantum, further investigation required, potential for early settlement, and other relevant issues; insist upon progress reports to update the status of a file; following Questionings, ensure that you receive a detailed analysis, including a summary of evidence given, a discussion of the credibility of witnesses, and recommendations for further handling; require counsel to provide copies of all pleadings and relevant documents; explore offers of settlement at the earliest possible date and, if the matter is going to trial, always employ the formal settlement rules; if lengthy Questionings or a trial is contemplated, obtain an estimate of expected costs; insist upon pre authorization of both the use of experts and expert costs; insist upon itemized accounts; insist that any travel required on the file to be pre authorized by the insurer; and consider the use of alternative dispute resolution on all matters scheduled to proceed to trial. Parlee McLaws LLP 510 2. THE LEGAL BASIS OF THE CLAIM: CONTRACTS, TORTS, AND LIMITATION PERIODS THE CAUSE OF ACTION A lawsuit is called an action. A civil action is started when a Statement of Claim, or, in certain cases, an Originating Application, is filed with the Clerk of the Court of Queen s Bench. In the case of a Provincial Court action, the originating document is called a Civil Claim. Each Statement of Claim filed with the Clerk of the Court is given an action number for identification purposes. The phrase cause of action refers to the legal basis of the claim. The majority of causes of action encountered by insurers involve claims in contract and in tort. It is, therefore, appropriate for insurers to have some understanding of the elements of both contract and tort and the limitation periods that apply. CONTRACT A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two parties. With some exceptions, contracts can be entirely oral and, therefore, failure to reduce an agreement to writing does not make it unenforceable (although it certainly invites dispute respecting the terms and conditions of the agreement). In order to successfully sue for breach of contract, the Plaintiff must demonstrate that: 1. there is a legally enforceable agreement; 2. the agreement has been breached by the Defendant; 3. the breach has caused loss or damage; 4. the Defendant has no proper defence to the claim; and 5. the lawsuit has been commenced within the time prescribed by law. Common defences to an action for breach of contract include: 1. lack of capacity (lack of legal competence to make the contract in the first instance); 2. misrepresentation inducing the contract; 3. duress or undue influence; 4. mistake of fact; 5. illegality of the contract as a whole; and 6. breach of condition or warranty by the Plaintiff. 6 The Litigation Process in Alberta11 TORT In law, a tort is a civil wrong, other than breach of contract, for which the Court will provide compensation. The tort most frequently encountered by insurers is the tort of negligence (the failure to take reasonable care which causes damage to another). There are, however, a large number of other causes of action in tort including: 1. intentional injury to person or property (assault, battery, trespass to land, etc.); 2. nuisance (unlawful interference with property rights); 3. conversion (improper taking of chattels); 4. defamation; 5. occupiers liability; 6. products liability; 7. strict liability; and 8. negligent misstatement. In the context of commercial insurance, only some of the above torts will fall within the coverage extended by comprehensive or commercial general liability policies. In particular, those torts involving intentional infliction of damage would either be expressly excluded by the terms of the policy, or perhaps impliedly excluded by virtue of the common law relating to insurance. Vicarious Liability Vicarious liability is a concept with which insurers should be familiar. The doctrine of vicarious liability imposes liability upon one person for the improper conduct of another. It usually arises in the context of an employer/employee or a principal/agent relationship. In such circumstances, the common law does allow the employer to sue their own employee to recover the damages for which they were found vicariously liable. As well, many comprehensive general liability policies will expressly name the employees as insureds along with the employer, thereby triggering either an express or implied waiver of subrogation/contribution proceedings. Another form of vicarious liability that is frequently encountered by insurers in motor vehicle accident files is the liability of an owner for the negligent operation of his vehicle by another In Alberta, section 187 of the Traffic Safety Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. T-6 makes the owner of a motor vehicle liable for damages caused by the negligence of the driver where the driver: (a) is living with the owner as a member of his or her family; or (b) has possession of the vehicle with the consent, express, or implied of the owner. Parlee McLaws LLP 712 Contributory Negligence A Plaintiff who has in some way contributed to his loss by his own negligence is entitled to recover from the Defendant only that portion of the loss not caused by the Plaintiff s own negligence. If, for example, in a standard two vehicle accident claim, the Court rules that the Plaintiff was 40% responsible for the accident and the Defendant 60% responsible for the accident, the Plaintiff would only be able to recover from the Defendant 60% of his or her damages. The applicable legislation in Alberta is entitled the Contributory Negligence Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. C-27. Joint And Several Liability Insurers should also be aware that in cases of multiple Defendants, they may be required to pay the Plaintiff 100% of his loss even though their insured was judged by the Court to be only partially responsible for the loss if the Defendants were found jointly and severally liable for the loss or damage. Pursuant to the provisions of the Alberta Tort Feasors Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. T-5, a Plaintiff is entitled to recover all of his judgment from any one of multiple Defendants whose negligence has jointly caused the Plaintiff s loss. In such an instance, that Defendant is left to pursue contribution from the remaining Defendants, although this may be a hollow remedy if the other Defendants are uninsured or penniless. LIMITATION PERIODS It is important to become familiar with the limitation periods for commencing legal action. The Limitations Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. L-12 has replaced the old Limitation of Actions Act, R.S.A. 1980, c. L-15, and governs the majority of limitation periods. The Limitations Act applies where a claimant seeks a remedial order in a proceeding commenced after the Act came into force, for claims after March 1, 1999, whether the claim arose before or after the coming into force of this Act. Where the claimant knew, or ought to have known, of a claim, and the claimant has not sought a remedial order before the earlier of the time provided by the old Limitation of Actions Act or two years after the coming into force of the Limitations Act, the Defendant is entitled to immunity from that claim. Two important sections of the Limitations Act are: 1. Section 11: Actions for the recovery of money based on a judgement or order must be brought no later than 10 years after the claim arose. 2. Section 3(1): Subject to Section 11, all other actions have the following limitation periods, depending on which period expires first: (a) 2 years after the date on which the claimant first knew, or ought to have known, that an injury, attributable to the defendant, occurred which warrants the commencement of an action; or (b) 10 years after the claim arose. Section 3 of the Limitations Act provides for two limitation periods the discovery limitation period and the ultimate limitation period. The discovery limitation period [section 3(1)(a)] is two years from the date on which the claimant first knew or, in the circumstances, ought to have known, that the injury warrants bringing a proceeding. The ultimate limitation period [section 3(1)(b)] is ten years after the claim arose. The Limitations Act stipulates that a claim must be commenced upon the earlier of the two limitation periods. 8 The Litigation Process in Alberta13 SOME EXAMPLES OF LIMITATION PERIODS FOUND IN OTHER ACTS INCLUDE: Type of Action Applicable Limitation Relevant Statute Damage claim against municipality arising from snow etc. on street or sidewalk 21 days after accident s. 531(2) of the Municipal Government Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. M-26 (MGA) Damage claim against municipality occasioned by failure to repair roads, highways, etc. Defamation Action against the Provincial Crown for failure to maintain a highway in a reasonable state of repair Action by Crown to recover claim for hospital services Notice within 30 days after accident 3 months after discovery of the publication of defamatory material, the plaintiff must give notice, in writing, of his or her intention to bring an action either within 7 days, if the publication is in a daily newspaper, or 14 days, in the case of any other newspaper or broadcast Notice of claim and injuries to be served within 1 month after accident 6 months after the expiration of the beneficiary s limitation period to commence an action against the tort feasor s. 532(9) of MGA s. 13(l) of the Defamation Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. D-7 s. 38(8) of the Public Highways Development Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. P-38 s. 67 of the Hospitals Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. H PROCEDURAL STEPS IN A LAWSUIT NEW RULES OF COURT The new Rules of Court came into effect on November 1, 2010 and apply to all proceedings commenced on or before that date, barring some special situations that are dealt with in Part 15, the transitional provisions. As suspected, the new rules are largely similar to the old rules; however there have been a few significant changes. Therefore, a general familiarization with the layout and wording of the new rules is recommended. PLEADINGS Pleadings include Statements of Claim, Statements of Defence, Counterclaims, Defences to Counterclaims, Replies to Statements of Defence, Replies to Defences to Counterclaims, Third Party Claims, Defences to Third Party Claims, Replies to a Third Party s Statements of Defence, Responses to Requests for Particulars, and Responses to Orders for Particulars. Under the new Rules of Court there is no more Joinder of Issue. Parlee McLaws LLP 914 Each pleading is required to contain, in summary form, the material facts upon which the party relies for their claim or defence. The Rules of Court set out a number of formal requirements that must be complied with in each pleading. For example, a Statement of Claim must be served within 1 year after it was issued or filed, and a Statement of Defence must be filed within 20 days of the Statement of Claim being served upon that Defendant, unless the Defendant receives a waiver of that timeline from the Plaintiff. To avoid a multiplicity of lawsuits, Defendants are entitled to issue contribution proceedings against other parties whom those Defendants feel may be liable for the Plaintiff s loss. If a Defendant believes that the Plaintiff is liable, or partially liable, contributory negligence should be pled in the Statement of Defence. If a Defendant believes that a third party is liable, or partly liable, a Third Party Claim may be issued. If a Defendant wishes to seek contribution or indemnity from another Defendant by virtue of that other Defendant s negligence, a Notice to Co-Defendant may be issued. SERVICE Statements of Claim and Third Party Claims can be served personally upon the Defendant or Third Party by being left with that individual, or by being sent by recorded mail addressed to that individual. The concept or recorded mail is new to the Rules of Court, and permits these documents to be sent by registered mail or any other method (i.e. courier) that requires a signature from the individual meant to receive the document and provides the sender with a receipt indicating that the correct individual signed for the document. Service is deemed to be effected on the date the acknowledgment of receipt is signed by that individual. The same is true for service of Statements of Claim and Third Party Claims on trustees, personal representatives, and litigation representatives. Service of a Statement of Claim or Third Party Claim on a corporation is effected by leaving the document with an officer of the corporation who appears to have management or control responsibilities for that corporation; by leaving the document with an individual in a management or control capacity for the corporation at its principal place of business or the corporation s place of business in Alberta; or by sending the document by recorded mail to the corporation s principal place of business, or its principal place of business in Alberta. Part 11 of the Rules of Court contains a host of rules relating specifically to the service of commencement documents on limited partnerships, other types of partnerships, missing persons, persons or corporations using alternate names, statutory and other entities, lawyers, and self represented parties. There are even further service rules for societies, municipalities, the Provincial Crown, and the Federal Crown as well. Pursuant to Rule 3.26 of the Rules of Court, a Statement of Claim must be served or renewed within one year of when it was filed with the Court. If the Statement of Claim is filed, but not served or renewed, it is no longer in force after the expiry of one year and the Defendant can apply to dismiss the Plaintiff s claim. A major change to the Rules of Court is with respect to service of documents outside of Alberta. An order for service ex juris is no longer required if the intended recipient is located within Canada. However, an order for ex juris order is still required for service of documents internationally. 10 The Litigation Process in Alberta15 Should an alternate form of service be required, in the event that it is impractical to effect prompt personal service or service via recorded mail, the serving party may still apply to the Court for an order for substitutional service allowing the document to be served by a different method if it is likely that the method proposed will bring the document to the attention of the person to be served. Finally, another major change includes the ability to serve non-commencement documents electronically when a party has provided an address, to which they may be transmitted. A commencement document includes a Statement of Claim, an Originating Application, a Counterclaim, a Third Party Claim, and includes an amended commencement document. DEFAULT PROCEEDINGS If a Defendant has been properly served with a Statement of Claim and fails to file a Statement of Defence within the applicable time period discussed above (20 days, one month or two months, depending on where the Statement of Defence is served), and if the Plaintiff has not waived the limitation period to file a Defence, the Plaintiff can pursue default proceedings. If the claim is for a debt or a liquidated (ascertainable) amount, the Plaintiff may proceed to obtain Default Judgment directly from the Clerk of the Court (unless that individual is represented by a litigation representative, in which case the Court s permission must first be obtained). Where the claim is unliquidated (damages have yet to be determined), the Plaintiff may note the Defendant in default and then apply to the Court for judgment, proving his claim by way of Affidavit evidence and, usually, obtaining a damage assessment in Justice Chambers. If a Defendant has had a Default Judgment entered against him, or has been Noted in Default, they may apply to the Court for an Order setting aside the default proceedings. In such an application the Court generally considers: 1. why no Statement of Defence was delivered; 2. whether there has been delay in making the application and, if so, the explanation for the delay; and 3. whether there exists a possible meritorious defence to the Plaintiff s claim. DOCUMENTS A party to an action is obliged to disclose the existence of, and produce all, non privileged documents which are, or which have been, in their power and which are relevant and material. The Rules of Court provide that a record is relevant and material if the record could significantly help determine, or ascertain evidence for, one or more of the issues raised in the pleadings. After the Statement of Defence is filed, the Plaintiff has 3 months from the date of service of that defence upon it to serve its Affidavit of Records upon the Defendant. The Defendant, upon being served with the Plaintiff s Affidavit of Records then has one month to serve its own Affidavit of Records upon the Plaintiff. Alternatively, if these timelines are too tight, the parties may agree to an alternate timeline, or a party may apply to the Court for an extension of time. It should be noted that the Affidavits of Records need only be served; there is no longer a requirement for the filing of this document as per the new Rules of Court. The Affidavit of Records itself lists the documents that the party is willing to produce, as well as those documents that they object to producing and label as privileged. The party must also list relevant and material documents that it once had in its power and possession, but no longer does. Parlee McLaws LLP 1116 A record is defined by the new Rules of Court as including the record of any information, data, or other thing that is or is capable of being reproduced visually or by sound, or both. This is therefore a very broad definition and includes information that goes beyond that which is on paper. If a party comes into possession of any relevant or material records after filing its Affidavit of Records, those records must also be disclosed to the other parties to the action via an Amended Affidavit of Records. Although the Rules of Court require that the parties to exchange their respective Affidavits of Records prior to commencing Questioning, the parties may waive this requirement by agreement. PRIVILEGE On grounds of public policy, the law has determined that there are certain types of documents which are privileged from production. These are documents which, even though they may be very relevant to the issues involved in the lawsuit, need not be given to the other side. While there are a number of different grounds on which privilege can be claimed, the most common are solicitor and client privilege and litigation privilege. These privileges are given to documents which are either prepared for the dominant purpose of instructing or assisting legal counselor are created in contemplation of litigation. Reports by experts or private investigators retained by legal counsel may fall into either of these categories. Some documents, however, often serve more than one purpose and this grey area can include adjuster s files and their investigations into the loss prior to notice of a claim being commenced. As such, it may be determined that some documents in the adjuster s file were not created with the dominant purpose of instructing counselor use in litigation and maybe found to be producible. QUESTIONING (PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS EXAMINATION FOR DISCOVERY) Under the new Rules of Court, the process of Examination for Discovery is now known as Questioning. The purpose of a Questioning is: 1. to discover the other side s case and the evidence upon which he will rely at trial; 2. to obtain admissions which can be used against the other side at trial; 3. to narrow the issues to be determined at trial; 4. to assess the witnesses; and 5. to facilitate settlement. The vast majority of lawsuits are settled before trial. From a practical perspective, Questioning is probably the most important step in the litigation process. It allows a thorough exploration of each side s position and an assessment of the credibility of the witnesses. Consequently, counsel are in a position to provide an informed opinion on the risks of the litigation, and the settlement possibilities of the file are enhanced accordingly. All parties to a lawsuit are subject to Questioning by all other parties adverse in interest to them. As well, any officer or auditor of a corporate party, and any past or present employee of the corporation with some knowledge of the matters in issue, can be questioned. Corporate parties are required to select an officer to speak on their behalf and whose answers will be binding upon the corporation for the purposes of the lawsuit. Regardless of his position within 12 The Litigation Process in Alberta17 the corporation, the officer is obliged to take all reasonable steps to inform himself about the facts and matters in dispute in the lawsuit from all documents available to the corporation and from all officers, directors or employees, past or present, of the corporation who have knowledge, direct or otherwise, of the matters in dispute. According to the new Rules of Court, questions asked in Questioning must be relevant and material to the issues alleged in the pleadings. Grounds for objecting to questions include: (a) questions that are immaterial or irrelevant; (b) questions that are unreasonable or unnecessary; (c) questions that relate to privileged information or documents; (d) any other ground recognized at law, which include questions directed only toward the credibility of the witness, questions of law, questions that require the giving of an opinion, and questions that relate to communications between spouses. UNDERTAKINGS Occasionally at Questioning, a witness will not know the answer to the question but will be able to obtain that answer at a later date or after reviewing certain documents. In such circumstances, the witness is asked to undertake to obtain and produce the information or documentation in question. Once the answers to the undertakings have been supplied, counsel is permitted to re-attend and question the witness on those answers. If a witness does not respond to the undertakings or if the answers are considered to be inadequate, then counsel is at liberty to bring an application to the Court for an Order requiring the undertakings to be answered in a proper and timely fashion. INTERLOCUTORY APPLICATIONS During the course of any lawsuit it will probably be necessary for one or more applications to be made to the Court from time to time with a view to enforcing procedural rights or accelerating the proceedings. Examples of such applications in insurance litigation would include applications: to serve pleadings substitutionally; to set aside a default judgment or a noting in default; for an Order requiring a party to provide further and better particulars; to strike out or amend pleadings; for judgment after noting a Defendant in default; to compel attendance at or answers on Questioning; for a further and better Affidavit of Records; to consolidate actions/have actions tried together; to compel answers to undertakings given at Questioning; to order security for costs; to dismiss the action for want of prosecution; to preserve property. Parlee McLaws LLP 1318 Some of the above applications can be made ex parte (without notice to the other side). Some applications are consented to by the other side, in which event the lawyer will prepare a Consent Order for signature by the Court. However, where the two sides are unable to agree, the application will be heard by the Court in Chambers. Depending on the subject matter of the remedy being sought, applications in Chambers are heard either before a Court of Queen s Bench Justice ( Justice Chambers ) or a procedural referee formally called a Master of the Court of Queen s Bench ( Masters Chambers ). In most applications, the Applicant will file a document called an Application (previously known as a Notice of Motion) setting out the relief being sought and a supporting Affidavit setting out the evidence relied upon in connection with the application. Opposing parties are entitled to conduct a cross examination on the Affidavit. In such circumstances, the person who swore the Affidavit can be required to attend before a court reporter to be examined. The transcript of the cross examination will be given to the Justice or Master hearing the application. If the application is to be contested, and it is anticipated that it will require longer than 20 minutes to argue, the matter must be heard as a scheduled Special Chambers application. EXPERT WITNESSES AND INDEPENDENT MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS Opinion evidence can only be presented at trial by a duly qualified expert witness (with some exceptions for matters relating to intoxication, distances, speed, etc.). The Rules of Court require pre trial disclosure of the qualifications and opinions of an expert witness intending to testify at trial. Such disclosure of expert opinion is required to ensure that no party is taken by surprise at trial. As a collateral effect, the disclosure of expert reports will often encourage the settlement of claims. Under the new Rules of Court there is no longer a required timeline for the disclosure of experts reports to be relied upon at trial by the parties. The Rules state that the reports must be in the correct format as required by the Rules, and that the experts reports must be produced sequentially. The sequence of disclosure is started by the party with the onus of proof of a particular fact or issue, whose expert s report is then rebutted by the other party. The party initially producing the report has the opportunity to produce a surrebuttal report. Therefore, no particular party is required to tip off the sequence, as it is based on the onus of proof of a particular fact or issue. Further, as there may be several contested facts or issues in any given matter, the Rules provide for a cascade of production of reports for each individual fact or issue, and therefore the production of a comprehensive, all inclusive report by a party is likely no longer permitted. The majority of experts reports will attract solicitor-client privilege, as they are usually prepared at the instruction of, or for the benefit of, legal counsel handling the claim. Accordingly, production of the reports cannot be compelled by the other side. As noted, the Rules of Court do provide for disclosure if the reports are to be relied upon at trial. This disclosure, however, comes when a file is nearing its end. One exception to the above rule relates to the use of independent medical experts. The Rules of Court provide that if the Plaintiff s mental or physical condition is in issue, the Defendant is entitled to have the injured Plaintiff examined by a doctor of the Defendant s choice (the independent medical examination ). Following the examination, the Defendant must deliver to the Plaintiff a copy of the independent medical report when received and, thereafter, the Defendant is entitled 14 The Litigation Process in Alberta19 to receive from the Plaintiff a medical report of every examination previously or thereafter made of the physical or mental condition of the Plaintiff resulting from the injuries sustained. At trial, an expert is put on the witness stand and will relate to the Court his or her qualifications in the given area of expertise. Those qualifications are subject to cross examination by the opposing counsel. Thereafter, an application is made to the Court for a ruling that the expert is qualified to express opinion evidence in the particular area in question. Once such a ruling is obtained, the expert then goes on to testify in the usual manner regarding his or her expert opinion. THE SETTLEMENT PROCESS The vast majority of lawsuits are resolved by way of settlement, usually following Questioning. Through a series of offers and counter offers, the parties move towards a mutually acceptable resolution of the claim. Although there are variations on the theme, the settlement almost always involves the payment of money by one party to the other in exchange for an executed Release and Discontinuance of the lawsuit. It should be noted that the Insurance Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. I-3, now requires that an insured be advised of the insurer s settlement of a claim against that insured person. FORMAL SETTLEMENT RULES In an effort to promote settlement of claims, the Alberta Rules of Court provide certain formal settlement rules that carry with them the possibility of increased exposure to costs should the party receiving the formal offer not accept the offer. While the previous Rules set out a different procedure for plaintiffs and defendants, the new Rules set out a single procedure for all parties. The Rules provide that, at any time up to 10 days before the commencement of trial (or 10 days before an application is scheduled to be heard), one party may serve on the other a Formal Offer to Settle specifying the terms on which he is willing to settle the claim. The Offer is usually expressed in terms of the payment of money, pre judgment interest, and taxable costs. The Offer must remain open for a period of at least 2 months, but may be formally withdrawn thereafter. In the event that the Offer is not accepted and the result at trial is more favourable to the offeror than the amount specified in the Formal Offer to Settle, the Court has the discretion to award double the usual taxable costs against the offeree for all steps in relation to the claim after service of the Offer. It is quite common for the parties to take a more informal approach than that set out by the Rules regarding these Formal Offers. For example, it is common for the Plaintiff to simply write to the Defendant s counsel to accept the Formal Offer and not apply to the Court for judgment. If the Plaintiff does not accept the Formal Offer and the matter proceeds to trial, and the award at trial is equal to or greater than the amount specified in the Formal Offer, the Court has the discretion to award double the usual taxable costs against the Plaintiff for all steps in relation to the defence after service of the Formal Offer. One other Rule relating to settlement, and which is available to a Defendant, is the formal payment into Court. Here, the Defendant simply pays into Court a sum of money in satisfaction of the Plaintiff s claim. Parlee McLaws LLP 1520 MULTIPLE CLAIMS Settlement of multiple liability claims arising out of the same accident requires a word of caution. If the multiple claims are all for small amounts without any possibility of their aggregate value approaching the policy limits, then each claim can be safely settled on a separate basis. However, if there is even the remotest possibility that the multiple claims will have an aggregate value either close to or in excess of the policy limits, then settlement of all of the claims must be made at the same time. Failure to settle in this manner may expose the insurer to liability in excess of the policy limits. STRUCTURED SETTLEMENTS Damages received in a personal injury action are not subject to income tax. Any interest generated from investment of those damages, however, is indeed subject to tax. A structured settlement is one whereby the Defendant s liability insurer purchases an annuity which will generate income for the Plaintiff in the agreed amounts over the agreed period of time in the future. As such payments constitute periodic payments of general damages, they are not taxable in the hands of the Plaintiff. Structured settlements are advantageous to a Plaintiff because of the tax free status of the payments received under the annuity. The settlements are also attractive to insurers because the insurers can often extract a discount on the Plaintiff s claim in exchange for the annuity. While, generally speaking, structured settlements are voluntary arrangements, section 19.1 of the Judicature Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. J-2, gives the Court the discretion to order that damages are to be paid by periodic payments and order that an annuity be purchased. TRIALS AND APPEALS SETTING THE MATTER DOWN FOR TRIAL In order to schedule a matter for trial, Rule 8.4 states that the parties must provide to the Clerk of the Court a fully completed Form 37 (found at Schedule A to the Rules of Court). In Form 37 the parties must certify that they have participated in a dispute resolution process as required under Rule 4.16, that questioning is complete, that experts reports have been exchanged, that any IME reports have been exchanged, that all undertakings given by each party have been fully answered, that all pleadings are complete, that all interlocutory applications are complete, and that the parties will be ready to proceed to trial. In addition to this, the parties must suggest an estimate of the number of witnesses to be called, the anticipated length of the trial, and any administrative requirements at the proposed trial. Under Rule 8.5, if all of the above things have not yet been completed by the parties, but it is anticipated that these will be completed well in advance of the proposed trial date, the parties can provide the Clerk of the Court with certification that the outstanding items will be complete in order to obtain a trial date and prevent further delay in the matter. This is done via an application and the submission of a completed Form 38. The scheduling of a trial date is at the Clerk s discretion and whether they concur that the items will be completed in time or whether the desired amount of trial time is reasonable. 16 The Litigation Process in Alberta View more
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