Lord v. Downer, (1999) 125 O.A.C. 168 (CA)

• Judge: Doherty, Austin and Sharpe, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (Ontario)
• Case Date: September 02, 1999
• Jurisdiction: Ontario
• Citations: (1999), 125 O.A.C. 168 (CA)

Lord v. Downer (1999), 125 O.A.C. 168 (CA)

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [1999] O.A.C. TBEd. OC.013

Amanda Marie Lord, Nicola Joan Lord, Cameron James Westbury, Minors by their Litigation Guardian Rolf Patrick Leigh Lord, Rolf Patrick Leigh Lord personally, Kathleen Jean Lord, Greta Joan Travis, Susan Patricia MacKay, Gina Marie Lord and Lisa Williams (plaintiffs/appellants) v. Miguel Ricardo Downer, Khary Adeen White, Yvonne White, Franklin White, Shelter Canadian Properties Ltd., 413730 Ontario Limited, Murrayfield Property Management Inc. and Laurie Marchand (defendants) and The Maritime Life Assurance Company (defendant/respondent in appeal)

(C30318)

Indexed As: Lord et al. v. Downer et al.

Ontario Court of Appeal

Doherty, Austin and Sharpe, JJ.A.

October 6, 1999.

Summary:

Lord was murdered in the underground parking garage of the building where he lived. The plaintiffs brought Family Law Act claims against, inter alia, Maritime Life Assurance Co., the mortgagee in possession of Lord's building. They alleged that Mari­time Life et al. failed to secure the parking garage when they knew or ought to have known that criminal activity had occurred and would likely recur in the garage. The claim against Maritime Life was confined to punitive, exemplary and aggravated damages. Maritime Life moved to strike out the claim against it on the ground that it disclosed no reasonable cause of action.

The Ontario Court (General Division), in a decision reported at 66 O.T.C. 39, granted the motion. The plaintiffs appealed.

The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. A claim for punitive, exemplary or aggravated damages was not available in an action for damages under s. 61 of the Family Law Act.

Damages - Topic 905

Aggravation - General - Aggravated dam­ages - Claim for - The Ontario Court of Appeal held that a claim for punitive, exemplary or aggravated damages was not available in an action for damages under s. 61 of the Family Law Act.

Damages - Topic 1281

Losses by third parties - Recoverable losses - General - [See Damages - Topic 905 ].

Damages - Topic 1310

Exemplary or punitive damages - Negli­gence - [See Damages - Topic 905 ].

Cases Noticed:

Baker v. Bolton (1808), 1 Camp. 493; 170 E.R. 1033, refd to. [para. 4].

Mason v. Peters (1982), 39 O.R.(2d) 27 (C.A.), leave to appeal refused (1982), 46 N.R. 538 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 4].

Vorvis v. Insurance Corp. of British Columbia, [1989] 1 S.C.R. 1085; 94 N.R. 321; 58 D.L.R.(4th) 193; [1989] 4 W.W.R. 218; 36 B.C.L.R.(2d) 273; 90 C.L.L.C. 14,035; 25 C.C.E.L. 81, refd to. [para. 7].

Hill v. Church of Scientology of Toronto and Manning, [1995] 2 S.C.R. 1130; 184 N.R. 1; 84 O.A.C. 1, refd to. [para. 7].

Walker and Walker Brothers Quarries Ltd. v. CFTO Ltd. et al. (1987), 19 O.A.C. 10; 59 O.R.(2d) 104 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 8].

Reidy et al. v. McLeod Estate et al. (1986), 15 O.A.C. 200; 54 O.R.(2d) 661 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 11].

Worobel Estate v. Worobel (1988), 67 O.R.(2d) 151 (H.C.), refd to. [para. 12].

Bow Valley Husky (Bermuda) Ltd. et al. v. Saint John Shipbuilding Ltd. et al., [1997] 3 S.C.R. 1210; 221 N.R. 1; 158 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 269; 490 A.P.R. 269, dist. [para. 13].

Statutes Noticed:

Family Law Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F-3, sect. 61 [para. 5].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Rainaldi, Linda A., Remedies in Tort, vol. 4, p. 27-99 [para. 7].

Waddams, Stephen M., The Law of Dam­ages (Rev. 3rd Ed. 1998), pp. 11-1 [paras. 7, 8]; 11-2 [para. 8].

Counsel:

Harvey T. Strosberg, Q.C., and Jasminka Kalajdzic, for the plaintiffs/appellants;

Robert J. Potts and Stephen R. Moore, for the respondent, The Maritime Life As­surance Co.

This appeal was heard on September 2, 1999, by Doherty, Austin and Sharpe, JJ.A., of the Ontario Court of Appeal. Sharpe, J.A., delivered the following decision for the Court of Appeal on October 6, 1999.