Federal appeal | Civil Practice and Procedure
Pleadings
Amendment
Motion to amend statement of claim in patent infringement action was dismissed
Plaintiffs sought leave in Federal Court to amend their statement of claim in patent infringement action to add three individuals as additional defendants and to add claim for joint and several liability. Motion was dismissed by prothonotary of Federal Court. Appeal was dismissed. Plaintiffs appealed. Appeal dismissed. Federal Court did not err in law in identifying and applying legal principles concerning amendment of pleadings, in its understanding of case law regarding personal liability of directors and officers, or with respect to legal principles to be applied regarding personal liability of third parties. There was no palpable and overriding error. Federal Court took into account all relevant pleadings. Facts set out in proposed pleading did not establish type of conduct necessary for personal liability. Pleaded facts were to effect that each of corporate defendants infringed plaintiff’s patent, but these were not sufficient to support claim for joint and several liability.
NOV Downhole Eurasia Ltd. v. TLL Oilfield Consulting Ltd. (2017), 2017 CarswellNat 277, 2017 FCA 32, David Stratas J.A., Mary J.L. Gleason J.A., and Judith M. Woods J.A. (F.C.A.); affirmed (2016), 2016 CarswellNat 2276, 2016 CarswellNat 3772, 2016 FC 685, 2016 CF 685, B. Richard Bell J. (F.C.).
