The Cause of Action of Breach of Confidence

• Author: Anne Gallop
• Pages: 221-226



TheCauseofActionof

BreachofCondence

Anne Gallop*

AINTRODUCTION

Thecauseofactionofbreac hofcondencehasexistedfordecadesThe

SupremeCourt of Canadasdecision in Lac Minerals Ltd v International

CoronaResourcesLtdconrmeditsapplicabilityinCanadaandadec-

ade latert he Court rearmed its applicability in Cadbury Schweppes 

Incv FBIFoodsLtd Breachof condencecases havefort hemost part

concentratedontheac tivitiesofthecommercialpar tiesinvolvedinthe

allegedbreach howevertwo recentc asesf romBritish Columbia have

alsolookedatthe roleofindividualswhowere formerlyengagedbythe

plaintiwhendeterminingwhethertherehasbeenanactionablebreach

ofcondence

The causeof action of breach ofcon dencehas been described as

a suigener ishybridcause ofaction thatspri ngsfrom multiplerootsin

equ ity and the com mon law

Aswa sst ate dbyS opi nk aJi nLacMinerals

* AnneGallopisapa rtnerinthee mploymentandlabourgroupatNortonRos e

CanadaLLPTorontowithglobalandlocalexperti se

 SCRLacMinerals

 SCRCadburySchwepp es

 XYIncvInternationalNewtechDevelopmentIncBCSCXYIncandCruise

ConnectionsCanadavCanc ellieriBCSCCruiseConnectionsCanada

 CadburySchweppes abovenoteatpara