Is there any case law where disclosure of settlement documents is privileged?

British Columbia, Canada


The following excerpt is from Dholliwar v. Yu, 2015 BCSC 670 (CanLII):

The defendants acknowledge that the documentation they seek is protected by settlement privilege. However, they submit that this privilege is not absolute and is subject to exceptions, one of which is where disclosure of the settlement documentation would prevent double recovery: Pete v. Lanouette, 2002 BCSC 75.

The defendants submit that based on the plaintiff’s evidence at discovery and the medical evidence, the injuries suffered by the plaintiff in the three accidents are indivisible. They rely on Ashcroft v. Dhaliwal, 2008 BCCA 352 for the principle that where multiple independent torts lead to indivisible injuries, the tort-feasors are jointly and severally liable to the plaintiff, and that, in such cases, damages are assessed globally, and the proceeds of settlement of any of the individual torts are deducted from the final award at trial.

Other Questions


Is there an implied waiver of privilege where a party waives privilege but takes a position in relation to privileged materials that is inconsistent with maintaining privilege? (British Columbia, Canada)
What is the test for disclosure of privileged documents? (British Columbia, Canada)
What is the current state of the law on disclosure of privileged documents? (British Columbia, Canada)
Does the crime exception to solicitor client privilege apply to communications that would otherwise be exempt from disclosure due to solicitor-client privilege? (British Columbia, Canada)
How has privilege been interpreted in the context of disclosure privilege? (British Columbia, Canada)
What is the test for privilege over the disclosure of confidential documents? (British Columbia, Canada)
In a personal injury action, does solicitor and client privilege trump the description of a document in the context of a description of the document? (British Columbia, Canada)
In a personal injury action, can a plaintiff oppose disclosure of documents in a settlement? (British Columbia, Canada)
Can settlement privilege apply to a document used as evidence in a civil case? (British Columbia, Canada)
In a personal injury action, has the court ever awarded special costs for non-disclosure of documents? (British Columbia, Canada)
X



Alexi white


"The most advanced legal research software ever built."

Trusted by top litigators from across North America.