On June 26, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada released Uber Technologies Inc. v. Heller and dismissed an appeal of the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision which held that the arbitration clause in Uber’s standard form services agreement (Agreement) was invalid both because it was unconscionable and because it contracted out of mandatory provisions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). We previously reported on the Court of Appeal decision.
Tag: Class Actions
Appellate Court Allows Appeal of Stay in Uber Driver Class Action
The Ontario Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal of a lower court decision which had stayed a class action filed by the plaintiff (appellant) on behalf of his fellow class members, Uber drivers, against Uber and its affiliates. The lower court had ruled that an arbitration clause (Clause) embedded in the Services Agreement (Agreement)…
Uber Driver Class Action Stayed Due to Arbitration Clause
A recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court provides an important update and clarification on the applicability of arbitration clauses in a case where employment status is challenged. In Heller v. Uber Technologies Inc., the Court stayed a class action filed by a plaintiff on behalf of his fellow class members, Uber Drivers, against Uber…
2015 Summer Edition
FOCUS ON HUMAN RIGHTS Beyond wrongful dismissal LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS Common pitfalls: use of expert witnesses Class actions beyond certification – the case for defence through trial PROFILE A litigator at heart Download PDF
Court of Appeal Dismisses Overtime Eligibility Class Action Certification Appeal
On October 6, 2014, the Court of Appeal for Ontario unanimously dismissed an appeal from the Ontario Divisional Court’s decision[1] dated April 23, 2013 which in turn dismissed an appeal from a decision dated April 27, 2012, dismissing a motion for certification of a claim regarding eligibility for overtime pay as a class action.[2] The…
The American Bar Association’s International Labor & Employment Law Committee Newsletter Publishes an Article by Jennifer Del Vecchio
An article authored by Hicks Morley’s Jennifer Del Vecchio was published in the March 2014 edition of the American Bar Association’s International Labor & Employment Law Committee Newsletter. The article entitled, “Supreme Court of Canada Authorizes Québec Class Action Regarding Reduction of Retiree Benefits” discusses the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Vivendi Canada Inc. v….
Class Action on Reduction of Retiree Benefits to Proceed
A proposed class action brought in Québec by retirees against their former employer was recently authorized by the Supreme Court of Canada. The claim advanced in Vivendi Canada Inc. v. Dell’Aniello related to unilateral changes made by the employer in 2009 to the retirees’ supplemental health insurance plan. The Court found that the four criteria…
SCC authorizes Québec class action regarding reduction of retiree benefits
The Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) recently released a unanimous decision authorizing a class action on behalf of retirees against their former employer, relating to announced changes to their supplemental health insurance plan (“Plan”). The case, Vivendi Canada Inc. v. Dell’Aniello, was decided under the specific wording of the Québec class proceedings statute. In 2009,…
SCC establishes framework for “preferability” analysis under CPA s. 5(1)(d)
The Supreme Court of Canada released a significant decision with respect to the s. 5(1)(d) “preferable procedure” criterion for certification of a proposed class action under the Class Proceedings Act, 1992 (“CPA”). The OSC investigated allegations that the appellant implemented measures that reduced, but failed to negate, harm associated with certain market timing activities engaged in by…
Hicks Morley Information and Privacy Post – 2013
Dear Friends: It’s early October 2013, and here’s what’s on our minds. With great pleasure, we’ve released this year’s Information and Privacy Post – a review of 60 information management and privacy cases that caught our attention in the last year. We like the exercise of producing the Post because pulling together and organizing recent…