Is privileged material waived through inadvertent disclosure?

Ontario, Canada


The following excerpt is from Spiral Aviation Training Co., LLC v. Canada (Attorney General), 2009 CanLII 51252 (ON SC):

The question of whether or not privilege is waived through inadvertent disclosure depends on the circumstances and requires the court to consider three factors – whether the error was in fact inadvertent and thus excusable, whether an immediate attempt was made to retrieve the documents, and whether the preservation of the privilege in the circumstances would cause unfairness to the receiving party (see Chan v. Dynasty Executive Suites Ltd., [2006] O.J. No. 2877). In this case I am informed by counsel for the defendant that the documents were produced in June of 2008, and as indicated earlier discoveries were conducted in October of 2008. At no time was an attempt made to retrieve the documentation, nor did counsel for the plaintiff take the position on the record that the documentation had been inadvertently disclosed and was privileged. In fact I am told that the first time that position was advanced by the plaintiff was in their responding materials to this motion delivered within the last couple of weeks. Furthermore there is no evidence amongst the materials from anyone suggesting circumstances of inadvertence. Finally I believe that in the circumstances described the preservation of privilege at this late date would cause unfairness to the receiving party.

Other Questions


If privilege is not waived, can privilege be waived? (Ontario, Canada)
Can privilege be waived through inadvertent disclosure? (Ontario, Canada)
What is implied waiver of privilege where the holder of privilege takes some action or position inconsistent with the maintenance of privilege? (Ontario, Canada)
Is the materiality of the legal advice required to justify disclosure of privileged information? (Ontario, Canada)
What is the definition of “material” in the context of the disclosure rule? (Ontario, Canada)
What is absolute privilege and what is the test for absolute privilege? (Ontario, Canada)
What is the test for adequate disclosure of material risks attendant to a procedure or treatment? (Ontario, Canada)
What is the legal test for privilege over privileged documents? (Ontario, Canada)
When will privilege be waived in a personal injury action? (Ontario, Canada)
Is disclosure of solicitor-client privilege mandatory or inevitable? (Ontario, Canada)
X



Alexi white


"The most advanced legal research software ever built."

Trusted by top litigators from across North America.