Other News

Langlois Kronström Desjardins is proud to announce the appointment of Gerry Apostolatos, one of its partners, to the presidency of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Quebec Branch, on August 17th of this year. His term begins immediately and will run until August 2011.

On December 1, 2009, the Superior Court rendered a leading case on whether a motion for declaratory judgment is available in law to confirm the existence of a verbal agreement. 

On November 3, 2009, Sun Media Corporation filed legal proceedings against Mr. Yvon Vallières in his capacity as President of Quebec's National Assembly, contesting his refusal to give media accreditation to two journalists seeking to cover proceedings in the National Assembly. According to the President, his decision was necessary to ensure that the business of the legislature be conducted in an orderly fashion. Sun Media is contesting the President's decision and on November 4th sought an interim order that the journalists be accredited pending final judgment in the matter. On November 9, 2009 the Honourable Étienne Parent dismissed Sun Media's application for a safeguard order.

Céline Garneau, a partner in the firm Langlois Kronström Desjardins, was recently awarded a Masters Certificate in Corporate Governance by Laval University’s Collège des administrateurs de societies.

Langlois Kronström Desjardins recently successfully defended Mr. Claude Chagnon against an action seeking damages of more than $23 million brought by Quebecor Media Inc. and Videotron Group Ltd. that alleged insider trading and breach of directors & officers’ fiduciary duty.

At its meeting on May 23, 2009, the Council of the Bar of Montréal appointed its committee members for fiscal 2009–2010. A number of Langlois Kronström Desjardins attorneys will sit on the Bar’s various committees.

• Tina Hobday, partner, was named to the Liaison with the Professions Tribunal Committee;
•  Fabrice Vil, lawyer, will sit on the Liaison with the Public Committee’s Debating Competition Sub-Committee;
• Marie Cossette, lawyer, will sit on the Women in the Legal Profession Committee;
• Chantal Chatelain, partner, accepted a second term as a member of the Liaison with the Superior Court (Civil Division) Committee;
• Gerry Apostolatos, partner, was named for a third year as chair of the Liaison with the Superior Court (Commercial Division) Committee and as a member of the Administration of Civil Justice Committee.

Langlois Kronström Desjardins proudly acknowledges the commitment of its lawyers and wishes them the very best of luck in their respective roles.

Langlois Kronström Desjardins recently successfully defended Concordia University in a $15 million action in damages launched against it by a former student who was expelled from the University for academic misconduct.

Langlois Kronström Desjardins recently secured a major victory for its long-standing client, Canadian Royalties Inc., in an on-going dispute with its joint venture partner, Ungava Minerals. 

The expertise of the Langlois Kronström Desjardins firm in matters of public inquiries is once again being sought—this time by the media—to comment on and explain the proceedings of the Schreiber-Mulroney Commission. Marie Cossette, an attorney from our Montréal office and a former solicitor for the Gomery Commission, the Johnson Commission, and the Poitras Commission, has been asked to appear on RDI and Radio-Canada in order to shed light on this complex affair.

Public hearings for the Oliphant Commission began March 30 in Ottawa and will end in late May. Judge Jeffrey Oliphant has until December 31 to submit his report to the government.

Since December, the maritime law professionals at Langlois Kronström Desjardins have had a hand in five major transactions involving Groupe Desgagnés Inc. The firm put its extensive expertise to work for the purchase (and financing, where applicable) of the RIGEL fleet of three ships as well as the M/V Rosaire A. Desgagnés, the M/V Zélada Desgagnés, the M/V Sedna Desgagnés, and the M/V Bella Desgagnés (the last two transactions are in progress). These transactions involve investments of over C$240 million.

Sébastien Laprise has just been appointed to two committees of the Québec City Regional Council Urban Development Institute (Quebec City area)—the Taxation Committee and the Urban Planning Committee.

Chantal Chatelain has been appointed to the Quebec Bar Advisory Committee on Class Action Suits for the 2009–2010 fiscal year.

On February 3, Éric Latulippe, partner at Langlois Kronström Desjardins, won an important ruling for his client, Société de coopérative agricole des Appalaches, in front of CLP. The ruling was a landmark decision involving large sums of money for Québec employers in a test case on the financing policy adopted by CSST in May 2007.

Langlois Kronström Desjardins recently successfully completed its engaged on behalf of Canadian National in an arbitration matter involving the Agence Métropolitaine de Transport (“AMT”).  After successfully prosecuting a multi-million dollar claim against AMT, Langlois Kronström Desjardins recently had the arbitration award homologated by the Superior Court of Québec.  In so doing, the award became final and fully enforceable.

The Supreme Court of Canada rendered its reasons for judgment on December 19, 2008 for its June 20, 2008 decision approving the proposed $ 51.7 billion privatization of BCE Inc., the largest leveraged buyout in the world. An action was brought by debentureholders issued by Bell Canada (a subsidiary of BCE Inc.), who sought to prevent the court's approval of the transaction on the ground that it would significantly reduce Bell Canada's credit rating, and consequently the trading value of their debentures.

Congratulations to Chantal Chatelain! She was recently recognized by Lexpert as a rising star and named one of the country’s Leading Lawyers Under 40.

Dimitri Maniatis and Rébecca St-Pierre won their case in the SCC where our client, Concordia University, was being sued by a former student, Ashraf Azar.