Farris Partner, Todd Bell, recently presented to a large group of BC’s bench and bar on the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision, Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, which established a new private law tort of intimate partner violence. In Ahluwalia, the SCC found that the current available remedies fail to right the wrong to dignity, autonomy and equality and could not account for the wider and qualitatively different consequences of coercive control such that recognition of a new tort was necessary. Todd discussed where the decision fits in the larger body of family violence jurisprudence in BC, the propriety and process of making a claim under the new tort, the assessment of damages where a claim is successful, and best practices going into unchartered legal territory.

Todd is an experienced family law litigator and trial lawyer. He practices parenting and custody litigation, assists parties seeking emergency protection from family violence and divides high net-worth assets such as corporate interests, trusts, foreign property, and pensions.

Todd was assisted in preparation of the presentation by Farris summer students, Georgia Fenton and Una Flego.