C.P. v. RBC Life Insurance Co., (2015) 366 B.C.A.C. 207 (CA)

JudgeMacKenzie, Willcock and Goepel, JJ.A.
CourtCourt of Appeal (British Columbia)
Case DateJanuary 26, 2015
JurisdictionBritish Columbia
Citations(2015), 366 B.C.A.C. 207 (CA);2015 BCCA 30

C.P. v. RBC Life (2015), 366 B.C.A.C. 207 (CA);

    629 W.A.C. 207

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2015] B.C.A.C. TBEd. JA.066

C.P. (appellant/plaintiff) v. RBC Life Insurance Company (respondent/defendant)

(CA041585; 2015 BCCA 30)

Indexed As: C.P. v. RBC Life Insurance Co.

British Columbia Court of Appeal

MacKenzie, Willcock and Goepel, JJ.A.

January 26, 2015.

Summary:

CP was insured under a disability policy she obtained in 1999. RBC Life Insurance Company (RBC) ultimately became the insurer under the policy. CP began receiving benefits under the policy in 2006. Between August 2009 and April 2010, there was a disruption in the payment of benefits. On July 14, 2010, after RBC had reinstated her benefits, CP commenced this proceeding alleging that RBC's actions had caused her severe mental stress and constituted a breach of its duty of good faith. The quantum of damages she sought varied depending on whether she received punitive damages: $50,000 to $100,000, if punitive damages were also awarded, and $100,000 to $200,000, if punitive damages were not awarded. CP sought punitive damages in the range of $1,300,000 to $1,600,000.

The British Columbia Supreme Court, in a decision reported at [2014] B.C.T.C. Uned. 117, awarded CP $10,000 in damages for mental distress. It dismissed the claim for punitive damages. In advance of the trial, on May 15, 2013, RBC made a formal offer to settle all claims for $50,000. In an unreported oral decision, the court awarded the plaintiff costs up to June 30, 2013, and awarded the defendants double costs thereafter. CP appealed both the damage and costs awards.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, except to vary the costs award and award RBC only single costs after June 30, 2013. Given CP's limited success on the appeal, the court awarded RBC 80% of the costs of the appeal.

Editor's Note: Certain names in the following case have been initialized or the case otherwise edited to prevent the disclosure of identities where required by law, publication ban, Maritime Law Book's editorial policy or otherwise.

Damage Awards - Topic 1007

Contracts - Breach of contract - Injured feelings or emotional upset - Mental distress - See paragraphs 3 and 65.

Damages - Topic 1305

Exemplary or punitive damages - Breach of contract - See paragraphs 66 to 68.

Damages - Topic 5706

Contracts - Breach of contract - Injured feelings or emotional upset - Mental distress - See paragraphs 47 to 65.

Practice - Topic 7242.1

Costs - Party and party costs - Offers to settle - Grounds for denying double costs - See paragraphs 86 to 106.

Practice - Topic 7243

Costs - Party and party costs - Offers to settle - Effect of failure to accept - See paragraphs 70 to 106.

Practice - Topic 8330

Costs - Appeals - Costs of appeal - Divided success - See paragraph 107.

Cases Noticed:

Fidler v. Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada, [2006] 2 S.C.R. 3; 350 N.R. 40; 227 B.C.A.C. 39; 374 W.A.C. 39; 2006 SCC 30, revsing in part (2004), 196 B.C.A.C. 130; 322 W.A.C. 130; 2004 BCCA 273, revsing in part [2002] B.C.T.C. 1336; 2002 BCSC 1336, refd to. [paras. 39, 50, 51].

Hartshorne v. Hartshorne (2011), 299 B.C.A.C. 6; 508 W.A.C. 6; 2011 BCCA 29, refd to. [para. 42].

Warrington v. Great-West Assurance Co. (1996), 81 B.C.A.C. 164; 132 W.A.C. 164; 24 B.C.L.R.(3d) 1 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 47].

Hadley v. Baxendale (1854), 9 Ex. 341; 156 E.R. 145, refd to. [para. 48].

RBC Dominion Securities Inc. v. Merrill Lynch Canada Inc. et al., [2008] 3 S.C.R. 79; 380 N.R. 166; 260 B.C.A.C. 198; 439 W.A.C. 198; 2008 SCC 54, refd to. [para. 54].

Turczinski v. Dupont Heating & Air Conditioning Ltd. et al. (2004), 191 O.A.C. 350; 246 D.L.R.(4th) 95 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 56].

Czarnikow Ltd. v. Koufos; Ship Heron II, Re, [1969] 1 A.C. 350 (H.L.), refd to. [para. 59].

Ship Heron II - see Czarnikow Ltd. v. Koufos.

Mustapha v. Culligan of Canada Ltd., [2008] 2 S.C.R. 114; 375 N.R. 81; 238 O.A.C. 130; 2008 SCC 27, refd to. [para. 60].

Loft v. Nat et al. (2014), 353 B.C.A.C. 53; 603 W.A.C. 53; 2014 BCCA 108, refd to. [para. 70].

Hamilton v. Open Window Bakery Ltd. et al., [2004] 1 S.C.R. 303; 316 N.R. 265; 184 O.A.C. 209; 2004 SCC 9, refd to. [para. 75].

Information Commissioner (Can.) v. Canada (Minister of National Defence) (2011), 416 N.R. 105; 331 D.L.R.(4th) 513; 2011 SCC 25, refd to. [para. 75].

Evans v. Jensen (2011), 307 B.C.A.C. 150; 519 W.A.C. 150; 2011 BCCA 279, refd to. [para. 76].

Gravel v. St-Léonard (City), [1978] 1 S.C.R. 660; 17 N.R. 486, refd to. [para. 76].

Amos v. Insurance Corp. of British Columbia, [1995] 3 S.C.R. 405; 186 N.R. 150; 63 B.C.A.C. 1; 104 W.A.C. 1, refd to. [para. 76].

R. v. Ulybel Enterprises Ltd. (2001), 275 N.R. 201; 206 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 304; 618 A.P.R. 304; 2001 SCC 56, refd to. [para. 76].

A.E. v. D.W.J., [2008] B.C.T.C. Uned. 937; 91 B.C.L.R.(4th) 372; 2009 BCSC 505, refd to. [para. 77].

Martel v. Peetoom (1996), 27 B.C.L.R.(3d) 160 (S.C.), refd to. [para. 79].

Jetha v. Shefield & Sons-Tobacconists Inc., [1997] B.C.J. No. 317 (S.C.), refd to. [para. 81].

Cook v. Bhanwath, [1997] B.C.J. No. 317; 73 B.C.L.R.(3d) 305 (S.C.), refd to. [para. 81].

Kurtakis et al. v. Canadian Northern Shield Insurance Co. (1995), 70 B.C.A.C. 76; 115 W.A.C. 76; 17 B.C.L.R.(3d) 197 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 81].

Gichuru v. Smith et al. (2014), 362 B.C.A.C. 271; 622 W.A.C. 271; 2014 BCCA 414, refd to. [para. 81].

Cridge v. Harper Grey Easton & Co. (2005), 207 B.C.A.C. 221; 341 W.A.C. 221; 37 B.C.L.R.(4th) 62; 5 C.P.C.(6th) 100; 2005 BCCA 33, refd to. [para. 83].

Roach v. Dutra (2010), 288 B.C.A.C. 141; 488 W.A.C. 141; 5 B.C.L.R.(5th) 95; 2010 BCCA 264, refd to. [para. 83].

Vukelic v. Canada (1997), 94 B.C.A.C. 147; 152 W.A.C. 147; 37 B.C.L.R.(3d) 217; 9 C.P.C.(4th) 159 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 87].

Minhas v. Sartor, [2014] B.C.T.C. Uned. 47; 2014 BCSC 47, not folld. [para. 89].

Danicek v. Li, [2011] B.C.T.C. Uned. 444; 2011 BCSC 444, refd to. [para. 89].

Gulbrandsen v. Mohr et al., [2013] B.C.T.C. Uned. 959; 2013 BCSC 959, reconsidered [2013] B.C.T.C. Uned. 1481; 2013 BCSC 1481, refd to. [para. 90].

Ward v. Klaus, [2012] B.C.T.C. Uned. 99; 2012 BCSC 99, refd to. [para. 90].

Currie v. McKinnon et al., [2012] B.C.T.C. Uned. 1165; 2012 BCSC 1165, agreed with [para. 90].

Wafler v. Trinh (2014), 355 B.C.A.C. 55; 607 W.A.C. 55; 2014 BCCA 95, refd to. [para. 95].

Bailey v. Jang, [2008] B.C.T.C. Uned. C42; 90 B.C.L.R.(4th) 125; 2008 BCSC 1372, refd to. [para. 97].

Arnold v. Cartwright Estates, 2008 BCSC 1575, refd to. [para. 100].

Smith v. Tedford et al. (2010), 288 B.C.A.C. 227; 488 W.A.C. 227; 7 B.C.L.R.(5th) 246; 2010 BCCA 302, refd to. [para. 100].

Mazur v. Lucas et al., [2011] B.C.T.C. Uned. 1685; 2011 BCSC 1685, refd to. [para. 101].

Statutes Noticed:

Rules of Court (B.C.) - see Supreme Court Civil Rules (B.C.).

Supreme Court Civil Rules, rule 37B(5) [para. 85].

Counsel:

F.E. Hayman, for the appellant;

J.A. Carmichael, Q.C., and K.A. McGoldrick, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard at Vancouver, B.C., on October 23 and 24, 2014, by MacKenzie, Willcock and Goepel, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. Goepel, J.A., delivered the following decision for the court on January 26, 2015.

To continue reading

Request your trial
62 practice notes
  • Cottrill v. Utopia Day Spas and Salons Ltd., 2017 BCSC 704
    • Canada
    • Supreme Court of British Columbia (Canada)
    • May 1, 2017
    ...until shortly before trial, more than five years after she was terminated. Our Court of Appeal, in C.P. v. RBC Life Insurance Company, 2015 BCCA 30, upheld an award of $10,000 for mental distress where the defendant insurance company had, by its own admission, been “sloppy, very sloppy” in ......
  • Cottrill v. Utopia Day Spas and Salons Ltd., 2019 BCCA 26
    • Canada
    • Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
    • January 24, 2019
    ...the steps taken in the proceeding after the date of delivery or service of the offer to settle. [21] In C.P. v. RBC Royal Life Insurance, 2015 BCCA 30 at paras. 90–92, this Court held that double costs cannot be awarded to a defendant if the plaintiff has obtained a judgement in its favour.......
  • Noori v. Hughes, 2019 BCSC 139
    • Canada
    • Supreme Court of British Columbia (Canada)
    • February 5, 2019
    ...is no suggestion of that here. He refers me in this regard to the decision of the Court of Appeal in C.P. v. RBC Life Insurance Company, 2015 BCCA 30, where, Goepel J., writing for the Court, had occasion to consider a similar argument. Goepel J. dealt with the issue as follows, at paras. [......
  • 2023 BCSC 32,
    • Canada
    • January 1, 2023
    ...the steps taken in the proceeding after the date of delivery or service of the offer to settle. [21] In C.P. v. RBC Royal Life Insurance, 2015 BCCA 30 at paras. 90–92, this Court held that double costs cannot be awarded to a defendant if the plaintiff has obtained a judgement in its ......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
62 cases
  • Cottrill v. Utopia Day Spas and Salons Ltd., 2019 BCCA 26
    • Canada
    • Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
    • January 24, 2019
    ...the steps taken in the proceeding after the date of delivery or service of the offer to settle. [21] In C.P. v. RBC Royal Life Insurance, 2015 BCCA 30 at paras. 90–92, this Court held that double costs cannot be awarded to a defendant if the plaintiff has obtained a judgement in its favour.......
  • Loft v. Nat et al., (2015) 377 B.C.A.C. 224 (CA)
    • Canada
    • British Columbia Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
    • September 9, 2015
    ...on appeal - Issues or points not previously raised - See paragraphs 26 and 28. Cases Noticed: C.P. v. RBC Life Insurance Co. (2015), 366 B.C.A.C. 207; 629 W.A.C. 207; 2015 BCCA 30, refd to. [para. 13]. Hamilton v. Open Window Bakery Ltd. et al., [2004] 1 S.C.R. 303; 316 N.R. 265; 184 O.A.C.......
  • Noori v. Hughes, 2019 BCSC 139
    • Canada
    • Supreme Court of British Columbia (Canada)
    • February 5, 2019
    ...is no suggestion of that here. He refers me in this regard to the decision of the Court of Appeal in C.P. v. RBC Life Insurance Company, 2015 BCCA 30, where, Goepel J., writing for the Court, had occasion to consider a similar argument. Goepel J. dealt with the issue as follows, at paras. [......
  • Cottrill v. Utopia Day Spas and Salons Ltd., 2017 BCSC 704
    • Canada
    • Supreme Court of British Columbia (Canada)
    • May 1, 2017
    ...until shortly before trial, more than five years after she was terminated. Our Court of Appeal, in C.P. v. RBC Life Insurance Company, 2015 BCCA 30, upheld an award of $10,000 for mental distress where the defendant insurance company had, by its own admission, been “sloppy, very sloppy” in ......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT