Fontaine v. Loewen Estate, (1996) 74 B.C.A.C. 241 (CA)

• Judge: McEachern, C.J.B.C., Proudfoot and Gibbs, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
• Case Date: October 04, 1995
• Jurisdiction: British Columbia
• Citations: (1996), 74 B.C.A.C. 241 (CA)

Fontaine v. Loewen Estate (1996), 74 B.C.A.C. 241 (CA);

    121 W.A.C. 241

MLB headnote and full text

Beth Naomi Fontaine (plaintiff/appellant) v. The Official Administrator of the Prov­ince of British Columbia, Administrator of the Estate of Larry John Loewen, deceased, and the said Estate of Larry John Loewen, deceased (defendants/respondents) and Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (third party/respondents)

(CA018682)

Indexed As: Fontaine v. Loewen Estate

British Columbia Court of Appeal

McEachern, C.J.B.C., Proudfoot and Gibbs, JJ.A.

April 19, 1996.

Summary:

Fontaine and Loewen went missing. Their bodies were found over two months later in the wreck of a pick-up truck in a creek bed adjacent to the highway. Loewen's body was in the driver's position. There were no witnesses to the accident and no one knew how or why it occurred. The plaintiff, Fon­taine's widow, brought an action against Loewen's estate. She contended that it was reasonable to infer driver negligence. The trial judge dismissed the action, holding that res ipsa loquitur did not apply. The plaintiff appealed. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (I.C.B.C.) also sought leave to withdraw an admission of liability contained in a third party defence which it had filed.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal permitted I.C.B.C. to withdraw the admis­sion. The court, McEachern, C.J.B.C., dis­senting, dismissed the plaintiff's appeal.

Evidence - Topic 152

Degree, standard or burden of proof - Res ipsa loquitur and specific burdens - Negli­gence - Application of res ipsa loquitur - [See Torts - Topic 549 ].

Practice - Topic 4959

Admissions - Withdrawal or amendment of - When available - Fontaine and Loe­wen were killed in a single vehicle motor vehicle accident - Loewen had been driv­ing - Fontaine's widow brought an action against Loewen's estate - The Insurance Cor­poration of British Columbia (I.C.B.C.) filed a third party defence which, allegedly through inadver­tence, admitted that the accident was caused in whole or in part by Loewen's negligence - The trial was con­ducted on the basis that liability was in issue - The action was dismissed - Fon­taine's widow appealed - I.C.B.C. sought leave to with­draw its admission of liability - The Brit­ish Columbia Court of Appeal held that justice was best served by per­mitting I.C.B.C. to withdraw the admission - See paragraphs 26 to 35.

Torts - Topic 167

Negligence - Evidence - Presumption of negligence - Res ipsa loquitur - Inference of negligence - [See Torts - Topic 549 ].

Torts - Topic 549

Negligence - Motor vehicle - Evidence and burden of proof - General - Fontaine and Loewen went missing - Their bodies were found over two months later in the wreck of a pick-up truck in a creek bed adjacent to the highway - Loewen's body was in the driver's position - There were no witnesses to the accident and no one knew how or why it occurred - At the time when the two disappeared, wind and torrential rain had led to road and highway closures - Fontaine's widow brought an action against Loewen's estate - She con­tended that it was reasonable to infer driver negligence - The trial judge dis­missed the action, holding that res ipsa loquitur did not apply where there were explanations consistent with no negligence and that the plaintiff failed to prove liabil­ity by Loe­wen - The British Columbia Court of Appeal affirmed the decision - See para­graphs 2 to 23.

Cases Noticed:

Walker v. Coates, [1968] S.C.R. 599; 64 W.W.R.(N.S.) 649, consd. [para. 11].

Armstrong v. New Brunswick (Attorney General) (1956), 5 D.L.R.(2d) 606 (N.B.C.A.), consd. [para. 11].

Curbello v. Thompson, [1968] S.C.R. 626; 68 D.L.R.(2d) 551, consd. [para. 11].

National Trust Co. v. Wong Aviation Ltd., [1969] S.C.R. 481, consd. [para. 14].

Scott v. London and St. Katherine Docks Co. (1865), 159 E.R. 665 (Ex. Ch.), consd. [para. 17].

Malone v. Trans Canada Airlines, [1942] 3 D.L.R. 369 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 19].

Temple v. Terrace Transfer Ltd. (1966), 57 D.L.R.(2d) 631 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 19].

Taylor v. Ankenman and Jaegli Enterprises Ltd., [1981] 2 S.C.R. 2; 40 N.R. 4; 124 D.L.R.(3d) 415, refd to. [para. 19].

Toneguzzo-Norvell et al. v. Savein and Burnaby Hospital, [1994] 1 S.C.R. 114; 162 N.R. 161; 38 B.C.A.C. 193; 62 W.A.C. 193; 87 B.C.L.R.(2d) 1, refd to. [para. 19].

Sheena B., Re, [1995] 1 S.C.R. 315; 176 N.R. 161; 78 O.A.C. 1, refd to. [para. 19].

R.B. v. Children's Aid Society of Metro­poli­tan Toronto - see Sheena B., Re.

McNaughton v. Baker (1988), 25 B.C.L.R.(2d) 17 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 31].

Abacus Cities Ltd. v. Port Moody (Municipality) (1981), 26 B.C.L.R. 381 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 31].

Norlympia Seafoods Ltd. v. Dale & Co. (1982), 141 D.L.R.(3d) 733 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 31].

Gillies v. Coudy (1994), 100 B.C.L.R.(2d) 115 (S.C.), refd to. [para. 31].

Kammin's Ballroom Co. v. Zenith Invest­ments (Torquay) Ltd., [1970] 2 All E.R. 871 (H.L.), refd to. [para. 32].

La v. Le (1993), 25 B.C.A.C. 12; 43 W.A.C. 12; 78 B.C.L.R.(2d) 322 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 34].

Chavez v. Sundance Cruises Corp. (1993), 77 B.C.L.R.(2d) 328 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 34].

Babich v. Maxwell (1990), 49 B.C.L.R.(2d) 269 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 51].

Tucker v. Asleson et al., [1993] 6 W.W.R. 45; 24 B.C.A.C. 253; 40 W.A.C. 253; 78 B.C.L.R.(3d) 173 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 52].

Gauthier and Co. v. R., [1945] S.C.R. 143, consd. [para. 59].

Kough v. Adkins, [1933] O.W.N. 709 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 66].

Ellor v. Selfridge and Co. (1930), 46 T.L.R. 236 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 66].

Halliwell v. Venables (1930), 99 L.J.K.B. 353 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 66].

Lee v. Russell, [1960] W.A.R. 142 (Western Australia), refd to. [para. 66].

Knott v. Royal Exchange Assurance, [1955] S.A.S.R. 33 (South Australia), refd to. [para. 66].

Eaton v. Eaton (1990), 575 A.2d 864 (N.J.), refd to. [para. 66].

Porterfield v. Brinejar (1986), 719 S.W.2d 558 (Texas), refd to. [para. 66].

American Family Mutual Insurance Co. v. Dobrzynski (1979), 277 N.W.2d 749 (Wis.), refd to. [para. 66].

Winter v. Scherman (1976), 554 P.2d 1137 (Hawaii), refd to. [para. 66].

Greene v. Nicholls (1968), 161 S.E.2d 521 (N.C.), refd to. [para. 66].

Johnson v. Foster (1967), 202 So.2d 520 (Miss.), refd to. [para. 66].

Kaufman v. Fisher (1962), 371 P.2d 948 (Oregon), refd to. [para. 66].

Baldwin v. Bell, [1933] S.C.R. 1, refd to. [para. 67].

Downs v. Rawling (1970), 74 W.W.R.(N.S.) 393 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 67].

Hackman v. Vecchio (1969), 4 D.L.R.(3d) 444 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 67].

Kraft Foods Ltd. v. Sushelnitsky, [1949] 1 W.W.R. 67 (Man. C.A.), refd to. [para. 67].

Bohm v. Maurer (1957), 9 D.L.R.(2d) 349 (Ont. H.C.), refd to. [para. 67].

Brown v. Walton, [1943] 1 W.W.R. 717 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 67].

Atkins v. Ulrichsen, [1973] 3 W.W.R. 406; 37 D.L.R.(3d) 368 (B.C.S.C.), refd to. [para. 72].

Lee v. Insurance Corp. of British Colum­bia (1986), 2 B.C.L.R.(2d) 293 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 75].

Hammack v. White (1862), 142 E.R. 926 refd to. [para. 80].

Byrne v. Boadle (1863), 159 E.R. 299 refd to. [para. 80].

Ballard v. North British Railway Co., [1923] S.C. (H.L.) 43, consd. [para. 82].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Fleming, John G., The Law of Torts (6th Ed. 1983), pp. 288, 289 [para. 83].

Spencer-Bower and Turner, Estoppel by Representation (3rd Ed. 1977), pp. 343 to 352 [para. 32].

Counsel:

R.A. Easton and J. Gary Cowan, for the appellants;

C.C. Godwin and J.D. Baker, Q.C., for the third party respondents, Insurance Corp. of British Columbia.

This appeal was heard on October 4, 1995, and April 2, 1996, at Vancouver, British Columbia, before McEachern, C.J.B.C., Proudfoot and Gibbs, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. On April 19, 1996, the judgment of the court was delivered, and the following opinions were filed:

Gibbs, J.A. (Proudfoot, J.A., concurring) - see paragraphs 1 to 23;

McEachern, C.J.B.C., dissenting - see paragraphs 24 to 93.