Legal Blog
Costs Self-Represented
Donatelli- Venneri v. Stern Landesman Clark LLP 2020 Ont SCJ
The plaintiffs appealed an assessment officer’s taxation award against them. The judge dismissed the appeal and, in his decision on costs, noted that the plaintiffs behaved appallingly during the hearing and made unsupported allegations against the defendant law firm of misconduct and a lack of ethics. The judge ordered costs on a substantial indemnity basis and did so even though the law firm had acted for itself. He stated, “While they are self represented, all work docketed was counsel work. I also accept that time spent by a service provider who bills based on time is time not spent on billable work.”
Written by Jonathan Speigel, the founding partner of Speigel Nichols Fox LLP, leads the litigation and construction practices. |