What is the effect of prejudicial statements made by counsel at trial in an ICBC personal injury action?

British Columbia, Canada


The following excerpt is from Walker v. John Doe, 2014 BCSC 830 (CanLII):

This application arises out of a hotly contested personal injury action. The plaintiff suffered a serious injury to his left foot which he says was suffered in an accident caused by an unidentified motorist on August 7, 2007. ICBC denies that the injury occurred in the motor vehicle accident as alleged by the plaintiff. The case proceeded to a three week trial before a jury on April 10, 2012. Following submissions to the jury Voith J. declared a mistrial based on the unfairly prejudicial statements made by plaintiff’s counsel. He found that counsel’s conduct was “willful and obdurate” and that it was deserving of rebuke and sanction: Walker v. John Doe, 2014 BCSC 294 at para. 56. For the purpose of this application I note that one of the bases for the declaration of a mistrial was the “inappropriate and unfair” attacks made by plaintiff’s counsel on one of the defendant’s experts.

Other Questions


In a personal injury action for damages for personal injury, is there any case law where there is little or no objective evidence of continuing injury? (British Columbia, Canada)
If historical driving records are relevant in personal injury actions, would they be relevant in a personal injury action? (British Columbia, Canada)
How have defence counsel in a personal injury action been advised to take walks as part of their rehabilitation from soft tissue injuries? (British Columbia, Canada)
Can a plaintiff in a personal injury action commence an action against a defendant in the same action against the same defendant? (British Columbia, Canada)
Is a party to a personal injury action entitled to production of a party’s personal injury report? (British Columbia, Canada)
In a personal injury action for damages for personal injury, what is the current state of the law on pain? (British Columbia, Canada)
In a personal injury case, in what circumstances will the BCSC provide advice to the parties on organization and preparation of the personal injury trial? (British Columbia, Canada)
In a personal injury action, can a plaintiff recover large amounts of personal injury damages from a vocational consultant? (British Columbia, Canada)
What is the standard of conduct in a closing statement at a personal injury trial? (British Columbia, Canada)
In a personal injury action, can a trial judge intervene to clarify witness testimony? (British Columbia, Canada)
X



Alexi white


"The most advanced legal research software ever built."

Trusted by top litigators from across North America.