Product Liability 2023

Course Chair
Michael Parrish — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

About the Course Chair
Michael Parrish is a litigator at Fasken Martineau, Vancouver. He practices primarily in the areas of product liability, tort, insurance, and construction litigation. Michael regularly speaks and writes on topics relating to civil litigation.

Faculty
Katherine Booth — McCarthy Tétrault, Vancouver 
David L. Campbell — Bowman and Brooke LLP, Detroit, Michigan
Allison K. Foord — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Sam Jaworski — Slater Vecchio LLP, Vancouver
Laura E. Jones — Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman LLP, Vancouver
Marc Kazimirski — KazLaw Injury Lawyers, Vancouver
Lisa Parliament — McMillan LLP, Toronto
Nigel L. Trevethan — Harper Grey LLP, Vancouver
Jill S. Yates — McCarthy Tétrault, Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios

Course Introduction and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:10)

Raymond Lee — Program Lawyer, CLEBC, Vancouver
Michael Parrish — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

Case Commentary on Ding v. Prevost, 2022 BCSC 215 (9:10 – 9:55)

• facts and background
• nature of plaintiffs' product liability claims
• fact and expert evidence
• key legal and evidentiary issues

Nigel L. Trevethan — Harper Grey LLP, Vancouver

BREAK (9:55 – 10:00)

Update on Product Liability Case Law in Canada (10:00 – 10:45)

• negligent design
• negligent manufacture
• failure to warn
• duty and standard of care

Michael Parrish — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

BREAK (10:45 – 10:50)

Prosecuting and Defending Product Liability Claims (10:50 – 11:35)

• plaintiff's theory of liability
• proving the defect—sources of evidence
• failure to warn claims
• liability for subsidiaries and suppliers
• indemnity agreements

Allison K. Foord — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Sam Jaworski — Slater Vecchio LLP, Vancouver

BREAK (11:35 – 11:40)

Examining and Defending the Corporate Representative (11:40 – 12:25)

• product design, testing, and certification
• manuals and warnings
• similar incidents, litigation 
• recalls and subsequent re-design 
• relevance/ applicability of "reptile theory" questions in Canada

David L. Campbell — Bowman and Brooke LLP, Detroit, Michigan
Laura E. Jones — Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman LLP, Vancouver

LUNCH (12:25 – 1:00)

Expert Evidence in Product Liability Cases (1:00 – 1:45)

• proving and defending claims with expert evidence
• common types of expert evidence 
• site and product examination and testing 
• using exemplars and surrogates
• common admissibility issues

Marc Kazimirski — KazLaw Injury Lawyers, Vancouver

BREAK (1:45 – 1:50)

Regulators, Regulatory Reporting, and Recalls (1:50 – 2:20)

• regulatory requirements in product design and certification
• overview of the key regulatory regimes
• regulatory reporting and compliance
• recalls and other remedial measures
• communicating with regulators

Lisa Parliament — McMillan LLP, Toronto

BREAK (2:20 – 2:25)

Product Liability Class Actions (2:25 – 3:10)

• claim trends in BC and Ontario
• certification trends
• causes of action
• identifiable class
• evidence, evidence, evidence
• interpretation of Maple Leaf: two Canadas
• recalls and preferability: the end of the road?

Katherine Booth — McCarthy Tétrault, Vancouver 
Jill S. Yates — McCarthy Tétrault, Vancouver 

Closing Remarks (3:10 – 3:15)

Michael Parrish — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver