Commercial Litigation

Commercial litigation covers a wide spectrum of business disputes. It includes breach of contract, injunctions, oppression remedies, wrongful dismissal, breach of trust actions, and many more.

wrongful dismissal

Wrongful Dismissal: Rabbi gets record award

People often err when looking at the amount of damages a court will award for wrongful dismissal. They sometimes presume that the maximum damage awards are set in stone. As the case we review below will demonstrate, there are times that the courts are so troubled by the conduct of employers that new records are set in damage awards. So let’s talk about the firing of a Rabbi by a synagogue.
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Does a Heter Iska increase risk of litigation?

So I pose the question – is there a litigation risk to a lender who signs a Heter Iska? When a religious Jew lends another Jew money they often enter into an agreement called a Heter Iska. Faced with the biblical prohibition against charging interest on loans and the reality that lenders are more likely to lend people money when interest can be charged, the rabbis created a halachic mechanism to still allow a lender to profit from the loan and not charge interest. This halachic document is called the Heter Iska. The Heter Iska characterizes the lender as an investor who provides capital for a business venture.
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Does A Constructive Trust Trump the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act?

In the words of the Court of Appeal at paragraph 34, "those funds should be the subject of a constructive trust in favour of DSLC Capital Corp. in order to prevent the unjust enrichment of Credifinance Securities Limited." But, this is the end of the story. Let’s start at the beginning. DSLC Capital Corp. (DSLC) sought to invest in Credifinance Securities Limited (Credifinance) thinking that it was a member in good standing with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). DSLC’s plan was to become a part owner of Credifinance so that DSLC could sell securities and other investments to its existing network of investors. Based on representations of the principal of Credifinance, DSLC loaned Credifinance $400,000 and, by share subscription agreement, proceeded to purchase a minority ownership interest in Credifinance.
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Who keeps engagement ring?

Marsha met Marc only 3 months ago. When she agreed to marry him she thought he was a wealthy entrepreneur. Instead, she found out that Marc only owned a small store and was barely making ends meet. When Marsha discovered her mistake she immediately started to date other men. After Marsha agreed to marry him, Marc gave her a $20,000 diamond engagement ring. Soon after Marc caught Marsha on a date with another man. He demanded that she give back the engagement ring. She refused. In her mind the engagement ring was a gift. Marc sued. Who do you think should get the ring? Let's see what the courts say.
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But I Incorporated…

Why do people incorporate companies? One of the main reasons is that generally, if a company does business, no employee or officer of the corporation is personally liable for any act within the scope of their duties on behalf of the corporation. Now, there are some exceptions to that general rule that could result in personal liability, even if the business is incorporated.
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Victims of fraud and bankruptcy

What remedies are left to a victim of fraud when the fraudster goes bankrupt? Gregory Sidlofsky of our office represented a company that was deceived into loaning money to a company called Credifinance Securities Limited. After we were able to tie up part of the proceeds of the loan, Credifinance declared bankruptcy. In our efforts to recover what remained of the loan, we argued that a constructive trust ought to be impossed on $310,500 in the fraudster's account that could be traced to the loan.
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