Our in-depth legal research, persuasive written argument, and articulate and engaging oral arguments all contribute to our successful appellate practice.
Our Areas
of Practice
We provide coverage advice on all aspects of personal and commercial automobile policies of insurance. We also provide litigation services to insurers, act on duty to defend applications, represent insurers as statutory third parties, attend on appeals and act as intervenors.
Stieber Berlach’s Automobile Liability Defence general tort litigation includes personal injury defence covering the spectrum – from mild impact soft tissue injuries to catastrophic trauma or wrongful death. We also handle complex coverage issues arising from automobile policies and multi-party actions stemming from serious motor vehicle collisions. In such cases, we have defended both driver/owners and insurers, either through trial or to the conclusion of settlements.
These include COVID-19 in long-term care homes; listeriosis in tainted meat; e-coli in municipal drinking water; negligently-designed medical products; contaminated pet food; fires and explosions in residential buildings; privacy breaches; and sexual and physical abuse in schools, religious organizations and other institutions.
We represent engineering companies, large and medium size general contractors, architects, design professionals, project managers, construction managers and small municipalities in the defence of claims related to construction and design defects, bodily injury where allegations of improper construction practices have been made and more.
We have expertise dealing with breach of privacy matters, whether via data breach or by other means. This expertise extends to class actions, individual claims of breach of privacy before all levels of the Courts, and claims before administrative tribunals. We also provide advice to insurers regarding cyber insurance coverage, and act as monitoring counsel for insurers, if requested. In addition, we provide legal advice to policyholders as to the appropriate response to such privacy breaches.
Stieber Berlach has assisted directors and officers facing a variety of litigation and legal issues, including those of large national corporations, smaller companies, not-for-profits, and corporation and condominium boards.
Stieber Berlach has defended employers in various legal disputes, from class actions alleging lack of compliance with provisions of the Employment Standards Act to litigation where employees allege harassment or sexual harassment in the workplace. We understand that the resolution of a workplace dispute involves not only a consideration of legal and factual issues, but also of public and media relations, the working environment and morale of other employees, and the balancing of competing interests.
We have represented municipal entities, petroleum retailers, environmental consultants and technicians in the defence of claims related to historic contamination; spills; alleged negligence or errors in inspection, installation or repair; use of dangerous or toxic substances in buildings and more. Understanding the financial strain of environmental litigation, our lawyers move quickly to develop a comprehensive and cost-effective strategy.
The claims faced by institutions include non-provision of services, negligence in service provision, and physical and sexual abuse. These organizations, often established to provide education, care, aid and comfort, face difficult and unique challenges in assembling a defence. Our counsel not only provides a full and vigorous defence, but also one which reflects the insured organizations’ aims given the existing political and social climate.
We draw on our diverse experience to provide clients with focused, timely and effective advice pertaining to a wide range of insurance and reinsurance matters. Our coverage group has extensive knowledge and experience advising clients about a variety of insurance policies, both standard form and manuscript.
We regularly act as counsel to hospitals, long-term care homes and other health care institutions, guiding them through health law issues including medical negligence litigation, privacy, class actions, regulatory proceedings and coroner’s inquests.
For more than 20 years, we have represented municipal clients before all levels of court, in liability claims arising from all facets of municipal activities, including police/fire/ambulance, building inspection and permit approval, road maintenance (including snow removal operations), leased premises, parks and recreation, public event liability, expropriation, and environmental claims.
Causes of action include assaults, abuse, slip and trip and falls, property liability, product liability, defamation, professional liability, and any type of accident that does not involve the use or operation of an automobile. We have defended cases at all levels of court in Ontario including the Supreme Court of Canada and Court of Appeal of Ontario.
We have more than 20 years of experience representing product manufacturers in claims related to alleged defects in manufacturing, process and design, failure to warn, and other associated product liability issues. We also represent product distributors, retailers and suppliers.
We regularly handle claims against construction professionals, accountants, paralegals, lawyers, real estate appraisers, mortgage brokers, insurance professionals and more. Allegations of professional negligence are serious and can have far-reaching effects. Protecting each client’s reputation and livelihood is paramount. As defence of professional liability claims becomes more complex, our experienced lawyers are well-equipped to offer proactive and effective defence work.
Our property practice both defends claims and prosecutes subrogate losses. We have a depth of experience that is comprehensive and includes fire losses, explosions, water, flood and mould claims, environmental claims and construction deficiencies.
Stieber Berlach lawyers have represented warehouse operators, common carriers, freight forwarders and owners of cargo in cases involving land, air and marine carriage. We are also experienced in litigation arising from environmental spills as a result of accidents during the transportation of hazardous chemicals.
Stieber Berlach has successfully defended our clients at the hearing level and through to appeal. We represent professionals, organizations, government bodies and a diverse group of individuals who are alleged to have breached statutory or regulatory requirements.