ALBERTA LAW REPORTS Sixth Series Reports of Selected Cases from the Courts of Alberta and Appeals
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ALBERTA LAW REPORTS Sixth Series Reports of Selected Cases from the Courts of Alberta and Appeals VOLUME 40 (Cited 40 Alta. L.R. (6th)) SELECTION EDITOR Walter J. Watson, B.A., LL.B. ASSOCIATE EDITORS E. Mirth, Q.C. E.H. Molstad, Q.C. A.D. Nielsen, B.A., LL.B., Q.C. EDITORIAL STAFF Cheryl L. McPherson, B.A.(HONS.) Director, Primary Content Operations Audrey Wineberg, B.A.(HONS.), LL.B. Product Development Manager Nicole Ross, B.A., LL.B. Julia Fischer, B.A.(HONS.), LL.B. Supervisor, Legal Writing Supervisor, Legal Writing Peter Bondy, B.A.(HONS.), LL.B. Susan Koster, B.A.(HONS.), LL.B. Lead Legal Writer Lead Legal Writer Donna Dickson Senior Content Editor ALBERTA LAW REPORTS is published 18 times per year. Subscription Alberta Law Reports est publi´e 18 fois par ann´ee. L’abonnement est de rate $487.00 per bound volume including parts. 487 $ par volume reli´e incluant les fascicules. 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ISSN 0703-3117 ISBN 978-0-7798-5743-2 Printed in Canada by Thomson Reuters THOMSON REUTERS CANADA, A DIVISION OF THOMSON REUTERS CANADA LIMITED One Corporate Plaza Customer Relations 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto 1-416-609-3800 Toronto, Ontario Elsewhere in Canada/U.S. 1-800-387-5164 M1T 3V4 Fax 1-416-298-5082 www.carswell.com Contact www.carswell.com/email ALBERTA LAW REPORTS Sixth Series Reports of Selected Cases from the Courts of Alberta and Appeals [Indexed as: Lakhoo v. Lakhoo] Shamim Lakhoo, Appellant (Plaintiff) and Rahim Lakhoo, Respondent (Defendant) Alberta Court of Appeal Docket: Calgary 1501-0313-AC 2016 ABCA 200 Catherine Fraser C.J.A., Peter Martin, Jack Watson JJ.A. Heard: June 17, 2016 Judgment: June 29, 2016 Civil practice and procedure –––– Pre-trial procedures — Case manage- ment and status hearing — Case management — Appeals –––– Plaintiff al- leged that, in family litigation, case management judge became frustrated and engaged unfairly with counsel during course of submissions — Exchange re- lated to proposed amendment of pleadings and earlier, advance costs order that case management judge made in favour of plaintiff — Plaintiff appealed, and allegation of reasonable apprehension of bias was raised — Appeal dismissed; there was no basis for finding of reasonable apprehension of bias — Remarks of case management judge, which counsel took to be minatory, on this record had no effect on counsel, whose energy and bluntness to case management judge was unabated — Case management judge appeared to have felt that counsel was not cooperating in judge’s efforts to regulate proceedings — If counsel felt that case management judge’s conduct reached point of disqualification, he should have sought recusal as soon as he reached that conclusion — It was part of duty of case management judge to seek to develop more of “tail wind” in this litiga- tion, which seemed to judge to have become bogged down by process hurdles — Significant part of behaviour said to evidence reasonable apprehension of bias actually related to separate order of case management judge in related matter; there was no appeal of that order. Family law –––– Division of family property — Practice and procedure — General principles –––– In course of family litigation, case management judge made ruling with respect to amendment of pleadings — Plaintiff was dismissive 2 ALBERTA LAW REPORTS 40 Alta. L.R. (6th) of defendant’s proposal that defendant should be allowed to argue either limita- tions statute or laches — Plaintiff asserted that defendant’s claim that pre-nup- tial agreement was invalid for several reasons could not include “amorphous” doctrine of laches — Plaintiff contended that laches and limitations statute could not apply because her claim against defendant was under Matrimonial Property Act and her allegations of unconscionability, duress or undue influence arose only as ’defence’ to defendant’s invoking of pre-nuptial agreement in answer to her claim — Plaintiff appealed — Appeal dismissed — Context of deference to discretion of case management judge to allow amendments to pleadings should not be overlooked — Case management judge did not err in concluding that amendment was not hopeless and letting it go forward — Judge did not suggest that ultimate decision on merits of limitations or laches should end up one way or other. Family law –––– Costs — In family law proceedings generally — Costs of particular proceedings — Miscellaneous –––– In family litigation, case man- agement judge made