Lo v. Matsumoto, 2015 BCCA 84

JudgeNewbury, Saunders and Willcock, JJ.A.
CourtCourt of Appeal (British Columbia)
Case DateFebruary 16, 2015
JurisdictionBritish Columbia
Citations2015 BCCA 84;(2015), 367 B.C.A.C. 220 (CA)

Lo v. Matsumoto (2015), 367 B.C.A.C. 220 (CA);

    631 W.A.C. 220

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2015] B.C.A.C. TBEd. MR.017

Norman Lo (appellant/plaintiff) v. Jennilee Rose Matsumoto (respondent/defendant)

(CA041707; 2015 BCCA 84)

Indexed As: Lo v. Matsumoto

British Columbia Court of Appeal

Newbury, Saunders and Willcock, JJ.A.

February 18, 2015.

Summary:

Lo sued Matsumoto for damages for injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident. Lo's primary and continuing injuries consisted of a fractured coccyx, a disc herniation at L4/5, irritation of the L5 nerve root, a disc protrusion at L5/S1, and erectile dysfunction. The trial judge awarded non-pecuniary damages of $130,000, including the sexual dysfunction. In respect of "past wage loss" he awarded the "net" amount claimed, of $1,066.97. These awards were not challenged. The trial judge awarded damages of $30,000 for loss of earning capacity and damages of $5,000 for costs of future care. Lo appealed these two awards.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal allowed the appeal to the extent of increasing the award for future care costs by $7,000, for a total of $12,000. The appeal was otherwise dismissed.

Damage Awards - Topic 489

Injury and death - General damage awards - Cost of future care - See paragraphs 12 to 22.

Damage Awards - Topic 492

Injury and death - General damage awards - Loss of earning capacity - See paragraphs 6 to 11.

Cases Noticed:

Brown v. Golaiy (1985), 26 B.C.L.R.(3d) 353 (S.C.), refd to. [para. 8].

Gillam v. Wiebe et al., [2013] B.C.T.C. Uned. 565; 2013 BCSC 565, dist. [para. 9].

Demarzo et al. v. Michaud, [2010] B.C.T.C. Uned. 255; 2010 BCSC 255, dist. [para. 9].

Gregory v. Insurance Corp. of British Columbia et al. (2011), 303 B.C.A.C. 92; 512 W.A.C. 92; 2011 BCCA 144, refd to. [para. 17].

O'Connell v. Yung et al. (2012), 316 B.C.A.C. 115; 537 W.A.C. 115; 2012 BCCA 57, refd to. [para. 20].

Counsel:

J. Guglielmucci, for the appellant;

G. Murphy, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard at Vancouver, British Columbia, on February 16, 2015, by Newbury, Saunders and Willcock, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. The following oral reasons for judgment of the Court of Appeal were delivered by Newbury, J.A., on February 18, 2015.

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56 practice notes
  • Brooks v. Habib, 2019 BCSC 1398
    • Canada
    • Supreme Court of British Columbia (Canada)
    • August 21, 2019
    ...and fast rule” that requires a plaintiff to testify that he or she intends to use the item in order to justify an award: Lo v. Matsumoto, 2015 BCCA 84 at paras. 20‑21. The Court should be cautious about reducing or eliminating the cost for an item of future care simply on the basis that the......
  • 2023 BCSC 319,
    • Canada
    • January 1, 2023
    ...likelihood that he will use the suggested services: Golkar-Karimabadi v. Bush, 2021 BCSC 990 at para. 107, citing Lo v. Matsumoto, 2015 BCCA 84 at para 189 The extent, if any, to which a future care costs award should be adjusted for contingencies depends on the specific care needs of a pla......
  • 2023 BCSC 508,
    • Canada
    • January 1, 2023
    ...The onus is on the plaintiff to show that there is a reasonable likelihood that she will use the suggested services: see Lo v. Matsumoto, 2015 BCCA 84, at para. 20. 693 Similar to the awards for loss of earning capacity, this award involves an assessment rather than a precise calculation. F......
  • Carrillo v. Deschutter, 2018 BCSC 2134
    • Canada
    • Supreme Court of British Columbia (Canada)
    • December 3, 2018
    ...or she would not follow a recommended treatment, and those cases in which no evidence has been led one way or the other: Lo v. Matsumoto, 2015 BCCA 84 at paras. 20-21. As Madam Justice Ballance aptly observed in Suthakar at para. 129, the Court should be cautious about reducing or eliminati......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
56 cases
  • Brooks v. Habib, 2019 BCSC 1398
    • Canada
    • Supreme Court of British Columbia (Canada)
    • August 21, 2019
    ...and fast rule” that requires a plaintiff to testify that he or she intends to use the item in order to justify an award: Lo v. Matsumoto, 2015 BCCA 84 at paras. 20‑21. The Court should be cautious about reducing or eliminating the cost for an item of future care simply on the basis that the......
  • 2023 BCSC 319,
    • Canada
    • January 1, 2023
    ...likelihood that he will use the suggested services: Golkar-Karimabadi v. Bush, 2021 BCSC 990 at para. 107, citing Lo v. Matsumoto, 2015 BCCA 84 at para 189 The extent, if any, to which a future care costs award should be adjusted for contingencies depends on the specific care needs of a pla......
  • Repin v. Aam Ventures Ltd, 2020 BCSC 227
    • Canada
    • Supreme Court of British Columbia (Canada)
    • February 21, 2020
    ...with the onus on the plaintiff to show there is a reasonable likelihood that the suggested services will be used: Lo v. Matsumoto, 2015 BCCA 84 at para. 20, and Izony v. Weidlich, 2006 BCSC 1315 at para. 74. In Izony, the court noted that if a plaintiff has not used a particular item or ser......
  • 2023 BCSC 508,
    • Canada
    • January 1, 2023
    ...The onus is on the plaintiff to show that there is a reasonable likelihood that she will use the suggested services: see Lo v. Matsumoto, 2015 BCCA 84, at para. 20. 693 Similar to the awards for loss of earning capacity, this award involves an assessment rather than a precise calculation. F......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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