Procedural fairness requires notice of potential timeliness issues

16. February 2021 0
The application for judicial review was granted on the basis that the applicant was denied procedural fairness. The court remitted the matter for reconsideration by another decision-maker. Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Attorney General – Judicial review – Procedural fairness – Standard of review – Procedural requirements and fairness – Barristers and solicitors – ...

The plaintiff, a Board member of the BCMA, distributed private information from Board meetings to non-Board members. At a subsequent Board meeting, allegations were made against the plaintiff regarding her alleged breach of confidentiality provisions in the Code of Conduct and the matter was passed onto a Code of Conduct committee for investigation. The president of the BCMA then sent a letter out to all members notifying them of the investigation into the alleged breach of the Code. The plaintiff sued the BCMA for defamation on the basis of this letter and other communications. The trial judge and Court of Appeal agreed that the letter was defamatory, but that it was made on an occasion of qualified privilege. The Board had a duty to inform the membership of such an issue.

24. June 2014 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – College of Physicians and Surgeons – Physicians and Surgeons – Code of conduct – Defamation – Judicial review – Disclosure – Qualified privilege Wang v. British Columbia Medical Assn., [2014] B.C.J. No. 833, 2014 BCCA 162, British Columbia Court of Appeal, April 30, 2014, I.T. Donald, M.V. ...

Disciplinary decisions of the British Columbia Law Society are reviewed on a standard of reasonableness. Where a lawyer cannot assemble admissible evidence to make a plausible case of incompetency of another lawyer, then he should not pursue the issue. To press an allegation of substance abuse solely on the basis of opinion, rumour, insinuation, and speculation is to take the matter to the level of professional misconduct. Defence of absolute privilege and fair comment, which would apply in a defamation suit, does not apply in professional disciplinary proceedings.

26. May 2009 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Law Societies – Barristers and solicitors – Disciplinary proceedings – Competence – Professional misconduct – Absolute privilege – Defamation – Judicial review – Standard of review – Reasonableness simpliciter – Evidence Goldberg v. Law Society of British Columbia, [2009] B.C.J. No. 657, British Columbia Court of Appeal, ...

The defendant doctors were successful on an application for summary dismissal of the plaintiff doctor’s action for defamation with respect to letters written to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia about the plaintiff’s medical practices

Administrative law – Physicians and surgeons – Governance – Statutory provisions – Disciplinary proceedings – Defamation – Boards and tribunals – Absolute privilege – Qualified privilege Schut v. Magee, [2003] B.C.J. No. 102, British Columbia Supreme Court, January 20, 2003, Kirkpatrick J. The plaintiff doctor brought an action against the defendant doctors and members of the ...

The Appellant’s, a retired teacher, allegations of defamation, negligence, malice and arbitrary treatment against other employees of the school district were dismissed on the grounds that the Court did not have jurisdiction to deal with them. The Court does not have jurisdiction to hear disputes whose “essential character” arises from the interpretation, application, administration, or violation of a collective agreement”. In such cases, the dispute must be dealt with by the dispute resolution process provided in the collective agreement and labour relations statutes and not by litigation in the Courts.

26. March 2002 0
Administrative law – Labour law – Collective agreements – Jurisdiction of court – Defamation – Qualified privilege Haight-Smith v. Neden, [2002] B.C.J. No. 375, British Columbia Court of Appeal, February 27, 2002, Esson, Ryan and Levine JJ.A. If the “essential character” of the dispute arises from the interpretation, application, administration or violation of the collective ...