Blog Posts
Below are our blog posts about recent developments in the areas of Estate, Family and Personal Injury law as well as comments on some recent important decisions from the BC Supreme Court, BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Our blogs are written by the legal minds of Richter Trial Lawyers, including our managing partner, John M. Richter.
Introduction Cultural traditions play a significant role in shaping family dynamics and inheritance practices across communities. For example, it’s well-known that many cultures tend to exhibit a preference for sons over daughters in various aspects of family life, including inheritance. When these traditions conflict with the principles of equality and fairness enshrined in Canadian law, […]
Richter Trial Lawyers is happy to welcome our newest addition, Emma Wright, beginning September 2023. Emma will be joining us as an articling student. Emma grew up in Ottawa, ON. She started her academic journey when she moved to London, ON, where she received her B.A. with honours at Western University. Recently, she graduated with […]
General Information Once you’ve confirmed you have the most recent will, you must confirm you’re named executor. As an executor, you must always obey the law and the terms of the will. Additionally, there can be more than one executor or administrator of the will. Essentially, your job and responsibility are to carry out the […]
Fighting over Fluffy: Who Gets to Keep the Family Pet? For many people, the family pet is considered a living breathing member of the family. In some cases they are better behaved than most family litigants. Although the Court has been known to make interim custody orders for a motorcycle (Krczizanowski v Fieseler, 2018 BCSC […]
A recent judgment out of the Supreme Court of British Columbia by Mr. Justice Butler, sheds some more light on what makes a witness credible. Ponsart v. Kong 2017 BCSC 1126, involved a claim for injuries arising out of three car accidents. Before assessing damages and compensation, Mr. Justice Butler was tasked with determining who was at […]
Between 2010 and 2014, over 81 people a year have been killed due to distracted driving. While it may seem harmless to fire off a quick text, the reality is responding to a text means your eyes are off the road for an average of 5 seconds. An accident can happen in a split second […]
In Binette v. Salmon Arm (City), 2017 BCSC 302, a women brought a suit against the city of Salmon Arm after she tripped on a metal traffic sign that was poking out the sidewalk. A crosswalk sign had been severed from its base and had remained in the sidewalk. It was later repaired sometime after […]
Spousal support orders are made on three bases: Compensatory. To compensate a spouse for their role in the relationship and sacrifices they made during the relationship for the betterment of the spouses’ lives. Non-Compensatory or Needs-Based. To ensure that one spouse does not suffer the consequences of sacrifices made during the relationship more than the […]
A recent court of appeal decision makes it clear that evidence of a full and complete gift (rather than resulting trust) does not necessarily mean a “deed of gift”. The recent court of appeal case regarding the McKendry Estate involved Mary McKendry (deceased), her 5 children (4 daughters 1 son), and the Vancouver property purchased by […]
In Andrew Peller Ltd. v. Mori Essex Nurseries Inc., 2017 BCSC 203, a BC Wine company sued an Ontario grape company alleging that they had been sold defective grape vines. As the issue was proceeding to trial, the Ontario based companies applied to court in British Columbia to transfer the proceedings to Ontario as the […]
Watch this video posted on Facebook by the Daily Mail which shows that a new car could save your life in an accident: Crashing cars What a 1997 car crash looks like compared to now! Posted by Daily Mail on Saturday, February 4, 2017 This video posted on Daily Mail’s Facebook page shows how driving […]
A recent BC case illustrates the difficulty faced by self represented litigants at trial. In Uppal v. Chung, 2017 BCSC 80, Mr. U was injured in two accidents, one of which caused serious disruption to his life. Liability was at issue in both accidents and Mr. U’s ability to receive any damages depended on establishing […]
The goodfirm ICBC lawyers want to show the consequences of failing to dispute a ticket within the required time limits. In Fraser v. British Columbia (Superintendent of Motor Vehicles), 2016 BCSC 2427, a new driver was given a 5 month driving prohibition after failing to dispute two tickets. The prohibition had severe consequences. The Tickets […]
The snow in Vancouver was responsible for over 4,300 calls to ICBC over damage and accidents from the road conditions. With roads in the lower mainland covered in slush and snow, the goodfirm ICBC car accident lawyers want to extend a warning to take extra caution on the roads this year in order to avoid […]
The goodfirm ICBC lawyers want to draw attention to a recent BC Supreme court case where a plaintiff’s failure to undergo a doctor recommended treatment program resulted in a reduction of the plaintiff’s award. In Lally v. He, 2016 BCSC 2187, a plaintiff’s award of damages was reduced for failing to attend a rehab program […]
We talk about court-ordered costs in our blog here: What are court ordered costs? The usual rule in family cases is found in Supreme Court Family Rule 16-1 where it is presumed that the costs of a family law case must be awarded to the successful party unless the court otherwise orders. Some lawyers have […]
The goodfirm ICBC car accident lawyers want to share these 5 key steps to take if you are injured in a car accident. 1. Try and get as much information about the other driver as possible. Any time you’re injured in a car accident, it’s important to exchange information with the other driver. Its best […]
The goodfirm ICBC personal injury lawyers want to draw the public’s attention to a recent personal injury case in the Supreme Court of British Columbia involving the birth of a child and litigation over €œin-trust†claims of the child’s parents and grandparents. In the recent case of Crossman v. Boiley 2016 BCSC 1437, a couple’s […]
Don’t go it alone: A cautionary tale of self-representation at the BC Supreme Court in motor vehicle cases Richter Trial Lawyers, the goodfirm ICBC car accident lawyers want to share a recent case from the BC Supreme Court reiterating the dangers of opting to “go it alone” at trial. In Mather v. MacDonald 2016 BCSC […]