On June 7, 2021, the Court of Quebec, with the Honourable Louis Riverin, J.C.Q., presiding, handed down a judgment ordering the Attorney General of Quebec and the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) to pay damages to the Celik family, whose son, Koray Kevin, was killed during a police operation in March 2017 at their Île-Bizard residence. François Mainguy, partner, with the support of Anna Villani, member of the litigation group at Langlois Lawyers, successfully represented this family.

In his judgment, Justice Louis Riverin of the Court of Quebec held that the BEI exceeded its jurisdiction, pursued an improper purpose and acted unreasonably in exercising its discretion. The news release issued by the BEI following the death of Koray Kevin Celik in March 2017 “drew a conclusion by totally excluding the parents’ version,” which was “equally credible”. In doing so, the BEI took a position in favour of the police version, suggesting that the police action was justified. It thereby “directly damaged the plaintiffs’ reputation and [their] honour,” the judgment reads.

The Tribunal found that the news release clearly did not meet the test for independence. It added that issuing the news release over the parents’ objection amounted to severe recklessness and that this decision appeared to be motivated by a desire to maintain independence from the Celik family rather than to respect its mission and purpose.

The BEI will have to pay $20,000 to the victim’s parents and $5,000 to each of his brothers, Deniz and Tyler Celik, plus interest. While this is an important victory in principle for the Celik family, the resulting judgment also sets a precedent.

We are proud to announce the addition of Marie-Claude de Grandpré, Jean-Bernard Dehaut, Camille Chapdelaine, Pascal Salagan, Elizabeth Latulippe Bresolin and Catherine Duguay-Blackburn to the Langlois Lawyers construction law team.

“These additions reflect our firm’s success with clients in the construction industry, including public and private project owners, contractors, professionals, design-build firms and integrated development teams. Our services include strategic advice, risk analysis, negotiation and drafting of contractual documents, legal management of projects, accredited in-house training, and dispute prevention and resolution before all levels of court, all in perfect coordination with our traditional practice areas of business law, litigation, and labour and employment law,” noted Jean Patrick Dallaire, the partner in charge of the group.

Marie-Claude de Grandpré (called to the Bar in 2012), Pascal Salagan (called in 2018) and Elizabeth Latulippe Bresolin (called in 2019) will work primarily on insurance law matters within the group. Their mandate will be to defend contractors, manufacturers and professionals in the construction industry.

Jean-Bernard Dehaut (called in 2012) and Camille Chapdelaine (called in 2018) will be assigned to the Commercial Litigation Group, acting for both plaintiffs and defendants in personal and property claims related to construction and infrastructure projects. In this regard, they will be able to deal with claims and warranties related to projects, as well as all the applicable regulatory considerations.

Catherine Duguay-Blackburn will be called to the Bar on July 9. Still, she is completing her training while supporting the team with risk analysis and the planning, drafting and negotiation of construction contract documents, as well as with legal management of projects.

 

About Langlois Lawyers 
Langlois Lawyers is Québec’s largest independent law firm, with nearly 150 practising lawyers in the Greater Montréal and the city of Québec areas and around 300 team members working to provide our clients with a complete range of high-quality legal services in civil and commercial litigation, business law, and labour and employment law. With a reputation for excellence, the firm has received numerous distinctions in 2020, including being named Regional Law Firm of the Year in Canada by Chambers and Partners and ranking first among the Top 10 Quebec Regional Law Firms in Canadian Lawyer magazine.

On June 15, at its General Meeting, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Canada (CCIFC) appointed William D. Hart, a partner at Langlois Lawyers, as Honorary Chairman and Honorary Member of the Board of Directors. This appointment recognizes his years of active and dedicated service to the CCIFC, during which time he has served as Chairman of the Board, Director and as a committed member of its various committees.

The CCIFC Board of Directors is made up of senior executives from both French and Canadian companies. Its leadership reflects the diversity of industry sectors and sizes of companies present on its roster. Click here to learn more about the composition of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

William Hart practices corporate and commercial law and advises European companies engaged in the process of setting up and/or acquiring companies in Canada. In addition, Mr. Hart is the head of the firm’s France-Canada practice group, in which a team of lawyers offers integrated solutions to assist French companies seeking to establish themselves or do business in Quebec. Mr. Hart is also Chairman of the Board of CIC Capital Canada Inc. and CIC Capital Ventures Inc., two Canadian subsidiaries of the French bank Crédit Mutuel Equity. A graduate of the Grande Ecole program at the ESSEC Business School in Paris, Mr. Hart also holds LL.B. and B.C.L. law degrees from McGill University.

Founded in 1886, the CCIFC is one of the most important members of an international network that includes 124 French chambers in 95 countries. With its headquarters in Montreal, offices elsewhere in the country and some 300 member companies and 1,500 individual members, the CCIFC is the leading Franco-Canadian business network and a major player in business relations between France and Canada.

Business lawyer and partner, Mylany David, highly regarded for her extensive expertise in terms of the core areas of law impacted by the legalization of recreational cannabis, was recently interviewed by La Presse, for an article entitled “Acquisitions | Bouffée de transactions dans l’industrie du cannabis”.

Mylany David explained that the public health crisis created the “perfect storm” for the cannabis industry, affecting production on one hand and retail capacity on the other. She spoke of an emerging industry caught up by a pandemic.

Read the article (in French only) here.