Yan Muirhead is proud to congratulate Tina Ye for obtaining a judgment at her first trial in Supreme Court. The trial was for two days.
Ms. Ye represented a contractor who sought to enforce a claim of builders lien for work done on a residential property. She obtained a judgment enforcing the lien as filed and dismissal of the counterclaim filed by the property owners.
Ms. Ye acted as lead counsel, made opening and closing arguments, and conducted the direct examination of the plaintiff’s witness. Ms. Ye was supported at trial by Nathan Muirhead.
The reasons for judgment have not been published by the Court.
Yan Muirhead partner Nathan Muirhead successfully defended an application seeking to cancel certificates of pending litigation that had been registered against properties in connection with a proceeding to enforce a judgment. Yan Muirhead associate Jaime Gray had earlier obtained a $14m judgment to enforce a debt arising from a property development project.
After obtaining the judgment, Yan Muirhead’s clients commenced an action under the Fraudulent Conveyance Act seeking to set aside dispositions of assets by the judgment debtors.
The application related to properties that were held through a closely held corporate structure rather by the judgment debtor directly. Justice Kirchner held that a certificate of pending litigation was available because the plaintiffs were entitled to execute against the shares held by the judgment debtor, but those shares lost their value when the land was transferred.
Justice Kirchner’s reasons for judgment are available here.
Yan Muirhead partner Nathan Muirhead succeeded in preserved certificates of pending litigation filed by a group of 41 purchasers of presale units in a residential strata development in Surrey, British Columbia.
After construction of the development was finished, the developer purported to cancel all of the presale contracts and sought to sell the completed units at higher prices. The plaintiffs brought an action for breach of contract and seek an order of specific performance to compel the developer to honour the presale contracts.
The developer applied to cancel certificates of pending litigation filed against title to the strata units. Justice Morellato, reasons for judgment indexed as 1022081 B.C. Ltd. v. Heer, 2026 BCSC 144, found that the plaintiffs properly advanced claims for specific performance and proprietary estoppel and dismissed the developer’s application.
We’re proud to announce that two of our lawyers have been recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada™ and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada™ in their 2026 editions:
Yan Muirhead is happy to announce that Tina Ye has completed articling with the firm and has been called to the bar. Tina is developing a broad commercial litigation practice. Prior to joining the firm Tina received a Bachelor of Law at Queen’s University Belfast, where she placed first in her class, and an LLM from the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. She is fluent in Mandarin and often assists Mandarin-speaking clients in litigation.
Yan Muirhead is representing several residential owners of the residential buildings located at 7371, 7373 Westminster & 5900 Alderbridge Way, Richmond, BC against a dispute with the Strata (Strata Plan BCS 2884). To view all materials filed in this matter, please click here.
Yan Muirhead partners Nathan Muirhead and Nerissa Yan successfully defended an injunction application, proceeding on short notice, seeking an injunction that would block a draw of $1.25m on a letter of credit.
The letter of credit was to provide security for payments under a consulting contract which was terminated. The other party accused the consultant of fraudulently attempting to draw on the letter of credit to obtain the fees that would be payable for the duration of the contract.
Yan Muirhead successfully argued that the consultant was acting in good faith and was entitled to receive immediate payment from the letter of credit. The court recognized that letters of credit play an important role in the commercial system, and that the law that has developed around them provides that a commercial dispute about the underlying transaction does not justify blocking payment of a letter of credit. Justice Francis’s reasons for judgment are available here.
律师Nathan Muirhead, Jaime Gray 和Tina Ye成功为一家房地产开发商辩护，反对一家抵押贷款金融公司提出的禁令申请。对方寻求禁令，阻止开发商公司发表涉嫌诽谤的声明，并要求开发商撤回有关原告商业行为和财务状况的声明。
谢吉尔法官女士（Madam Justice Shergill）经过两天的辩论听取了该申请。因为对方是紧急提交的申请，Yan Muirhead 的团队只有一个工作日的时间进行准备。
涉嫌诽谤的言论是用中文发表的。原告以紧急为由，寻求依靠自己的律师而不是专业翻译人员准备的翻译。
Yan Muirhead认为，翻译人员必须公正、不带偏见，而当事人的律师缺乏所需的客观性。谢尔吉尔法官仔细审查了有关翻译的先例后，将这些翻译排除在证据之外。这是British Columbia省首例涉及代表一方的律师是否也可以为法庭翻译文件的案件，谢尔吉尔法官的判决开创了一个重要的先例，即翻译人员必须具备适当的资格和公正。
Yan Muirhead 团队还成功辩称，即使翻译被接受为证据，也不适合授予中间禁令。谢尔吉尔法官接受了Yan Muirhead的论点，即民事索赔通知中存在缺陷，可以让被告申请撤销该通知，并且存在潜在可行的辩护，包括正当理由，可以推翻诽谤索赔。
谢尔吉尔法官的判决理由可在此处查看
Yan Muirhead律师Nathan Muirhead与Jaime Gray在股东提出的简易审判申请中成功为一群公司辩护。该股东简易审判申请声称欠下约 100万加币的债务，并寻求下令关闭这些公司。
原告依靠本票来主张债务，但公司辩称，口头协议修改了贷款条款，并且无法根据简易审判申请中提交的证据来决定该问题。斯蒂芬斯法官（Justice Stephens）接受了这一论点，并下令对所有问题进行常规审判。
斯蒂芬法官的判决理由可在此处查看
Yan Muirhead （忠严律师事务所）和 Allen / McMillan 诉讼律师团队联合代表 32 户签订了购买列治文新开发项目 ALFA 公寓合同的原告。开发商安德森广场控股有限公司 (Anderson Square Holdings Ltd.) 声称合理取消了该项目的预售合同。 Wes McMillan律师 和 Nerissa Yan律师 在庭省中代表32户买家原告。
开发商声称，他们有权在施工期间取消合同，这将使开发商能够从不断上涨的房地产市场中获利。该公司的董事（其中包括列治文的一位著名的前市议会参选员）声称，由于公司陷入财务困难，因此取消了合同。
主审法官Loo法官认为，安德森广场的董事在声称终止合同时存在不诚实行为。原告获得了总计 13,093,900 加元的损害赔偿金，以补偿他们公寓增值的损失。Loo法官的判决理由公布为 2024 BCSC 216 Zheng v. Anderson Square Holdings Ltd. (bccourts.ca)。
Yan Muirhead 合伙人 Nerissa Yan 和律师 Jaime Gray 成功驳回了一家闭锁型公司的小股东针对大股东提起派生诉讼的申请。
Yan Muirhead 经常代表商人处理闭锁型企业的股东或合伙人之间的纠纷。在本案中，小股东指控公司经理和大股东挪用公司资金，并向法院请求允许公司对大股东提起诉讼。
人们承认，提出派生诉讼的四项要求中的两项已得到满足，但Yan Muirhead成功地辩称，小股东并未证明她的行为是善意的，或者提出的索赔符合公司的最佳利益。因此，泰勒法官（Mr. Justice Taylor）[驳回了小股东提出的申诉][链接随后提供]。
Yan Muirhead 合伙人 Nathan Muirhead 和律师 Iain Macdonald 为一位被不当逐出的租户获得了超过 10 万加元的赔偿。房东由一名有执照的物业经理代表，并为其准备了文件，但尽管如此，还是不当驱逐了其租户。
2021 年，《住宅租赁法》修正案S.B.C. 2002，c. 78 号法律生效后，如果因房东声称想要翻新房产或搬进该房产而驱逐租户，但实际上并没有这样做，则租户有权获得月租金 12 倍的补偿。考虑到温哥华租赁市场的状况，这笔补偿金可谓相当可观。
Yan Muirhead 的律师们经常就租赁事务向房东和租户提供咨询，并出席住宅租务处（Residential Tenancy Branch）的听证会以及卑诗省最高法院对住宅租务处听证会的司法审查申请。考虑到可能涉及赔偿金，我们建议房东，尤其是不熟悉《住宅租赁法》要求的房东，在驱逐租户之前咨询律师，而不要仅仅依赖物业经理的建议。
Yan Muirhead 合伙人 Nathan Muirhead 和律师 Jaime Gray 在某公寓开发商试图通过破产程序阻止对其进行审理后，获得了一项允许对该开发商继续审理的命令。
该案件涉及 33 人提出的索赔，由 Yan Muirhead 合伙人 Nerissa Yan 和 Allen / McMillan 诉讼律师合伙人 [Wes McMillan] 代表他们出席审理 [链接：https://www.amlc.ca/wes-mcmillan ]，这些人从上述开发商处购买了预售分契式住宅单位。开发商声称取消了这些预售合同，然后以更高的价格出售了相同的单位。 当地媒体]报道了开始对该开发商进行审理的消息。
在案件审理的第一天，开发商提交了破产通知，导致诉讼程序自动中止，原本可以就此结束审理。但主持庭审的法官卢先生（Mr.Justice Loo）认为，开发商破产申请的诚意受到质疑，停止审理会对原告造成不公平的损害，并解除了诉讼程序的中止，因此审理将得以继续。
忠严律师事务所的 Nathan Muirhead 和 Jaime Gray 成功代表 了蒋易成先生 处理了有关他投资BC省一家初创废物回收公司的纠纷。 经过 16 天的审判后，BC最高院法官Kevin Loo发现被告黄世惠(Paul Oei) 和黎惠 (Loretta Lai)在介绍投资项目中做出了欺诈性和疏忽性的虚假陈述，诱使蒋先生进行投资。 法院命令他们支付约 5,000,000 加元的损害赔偿金。
黄世惠（Paul Oei） 在实施欺诈时由著名律师和前国会议员代理。 判决指出，蒋先生还起诉了该律师及其律师事务所，针对律师的诉讼在开庭前已得到解决。
BC省证券监管委员会之前的调查和聆讯会后也下达了针对黄世惠（Paul Oei） 的判令，但证监会并未针对 黎惠（Loretta Lai） 的欺诈行为提起强制执行程序。 法院认定，她在诈骗案中发挥了不可或缺的作用，并须联合承担全部责任。
判决书法庭索引为 Jiang v. Oei, 2023 BCSC 921
Jaime Gray是Yan Muirhead的一位律师，在小额法庭参与了两天半的审理。Gray女士代理翻修后遭到其总承包商起诉的一家本地公司。Gray女士主张涉案的是固定价格合同，而非原告所称的与时间和材料相关的合同，据理力争，最终成功获得了对被告有利的审判结果。
Yan Muirhead的合伙人Nerissa Yan和她的同事Caitlin Ohama-Darcus 以及Edith Chen 代表一位个人客户，对高等法院驳回她对一家银行提出索赔的判决提出上诉，该索赔案涉及她的电汇转账转到了境外的一些诈骗人手中。
上诉法院认为这是一个关于银行是否未履行职责，提醒客户有关存在诈骗风险的问题，遂判决此案进行法庭审理。
上诉法院同意Yan Muirhead为其客户提出的在雇员诈骗案诉讼中保留未决诉讼证书（certificate of pending litigation）的上诉请求。上诉法院认为，原则上分庭法官在评估由未决诉讼证书造成的困难和雇主案件的理据充分程度两方面做了误判。
Nathan Muirhead和Jaime Gray代理了上诉人的上诉事宜。上诉法院同意上诉的理由可点击以下链接查询: https://www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/ca/23/00/2023BCCA0035.htm。
Yan Muirhead LLP’s partner, Nerissa Yan (together with co-counsel, Jennifer Flood) represented Asian Women for Equality to intervene in the constitutional challenge to Canada’s prostitution laws.
On Friday, October 7, 2022, Asian Women for Equality intervened in Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform v. Canada before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to support the constitutionality of Canada’s prostitution law, which came into effect December 2014 as the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act.
The Canadian Criminal Code targets and criminalizes pimps, recruiters, sex-buyers and marketing platforms that promote prostitution as a service. The law also recognizes the vulnerability and pressures that push women into prostitution and immunizes them from criminal charges. In this way, law enforcement resources are intended to be focused on the demand side of prostitution. “The law recognizes the impact of sexism and racism in creating the conditions that empower pimps, prostitution recruiters and sex buyers while disempowering women, particularly racialized and poor women,” says Alice Lee, a member of Asian Women for Equality. The group contends that the law is constitutional and requires better enforcement.
Additionally, Asian Women for Equality aimed to assist the Court to understand the negative impact of prostitution advertising which relies on and promotes deeply racist and sexist stereotypes. Advertising or marketing the sexual services of another is criminalized, thereby interfering with rampant commercialization of prostitution.
Yan Muirhead LLP represents John Nuttall and Amanda Korody in a civil action commenced against RCMP officers, the Attorney General of Canada, and others alleging, among other causes of action, that their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were violated.
Ms. Korody and Mr. Nuttall were imprisoned for over three years until the criminal charges against them were stayed. Justice Bruce of the Supreme Court of British Columbia found that they had been entrapped by the RCMP in an improper undercover operation.
The case has been reported by the Globe and Mail here. The Globe and Mail quotes Nathan as follows:
What happened to John and Amanda was a travesty of justice. There wouldn’t have been a plot if it weren’t for the actions of the RCMP,” Mr. Muirhead said. “There was psychological coercion (and) logistical support by the RCMP. These were people who were recovering from drug addiction, on welfare, on methadone. They weren’t leaving a small radius around their basement apartment.
Ms. Korody and Mr. Nuttall are represented by Yan Muirhead partner Nathan Muirhead.
A copy of the Amended Notice of Civil claim is available here.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver and the Star of the Sea Parish have issued a historic apology to the White Rock Pride Society and to the wider LBGTQ2+ community.
The apology resolves a complaint the White Rock Pride Society filed with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation. after the Star of the Sea Parish refused to rent its community centre to host the White Rock Pride Society’s annual fundraising event in 2019.
Ernie Klassen, president of the White Rock Pride Society, issued the following statement:
We formed the White Rock Pride Society to build understanding, support and inclusiveness in the community for people who identify as LGBTQ2+ and other at-risk groups. This is a huge step forward in creating an inclusive and diverse society. We are extremely appreciative of the Parish and Archdiocese's willingness to listen, change and work constructively towards identifying further opportunities for support, inclusion and dialogue within the Catholic Church. In the true spirit of reconciliation, the two groups have reached an agreement far better than what a ruling from the Human Rights Tribunal could have achieved.
The White Rock Pride Society was represented by Yan Muirhead partner Nerissa Yan together with Caitlin Ohama-Darcus of Nathanson Schachter & Thompson LLP.
A joint statement issued by the White Rock Pride Society, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, and the Star of the Sea Parish, can be read here. Media coverage of the apology is available here and here.
根据Yan Muirhead的客户（当地一家船舶维修公司）的请求，法官福思女士（Justice Forth）裁决驳回了已向这家公司发出的单方面禁制令，并命令向该公司支付诉讼费。福思法官发现，在听证会上禁制令申请人的律师没有向内庭法官提供重要信息，使听证会在没有通知Yan Muirhead客户的情况下进行。Nerissa Yan出席了这次请求裁决。
2022年1月17日，卑诗省高等法院助理法官哈珀批准了由Yan Muirhead的客户提出的申请，该申请要求修正一项指控被告在诉讼过程中不当销毁证据的诉状。该被告曾寻求法律帮助，以免对指控进行申辩。该判决是卑诗省报道的首批法院允许原告对销毁证据指控进行申辩的判决之一。
Yan Muirhead的Nathan Muirhead和Jaime Gray 代理了原告的上诉。
2022年1月17日，卑诗省上诉法庭法官纽伯里女士（Justice Newbury）批准了一项由Yan Muirhead的客户提出保留未决诉讼证明的申请。这份记录在地产所有权注册局（Land Title Office）的未决诉讼证明涉及对被告住宅所有权的一项索赔，曾被高等法院的法官驳回，但纽伯里法官却批准了保留未决诉讼证明的上诉申请。
该诉讼涉及几项指控，即Yan Muirhead的客户（一家汽车销售商）受到其前主管和总经理的诈骗，但被告均予以否认。Nathan Muirhead 和 Nerissa Yan参与了代理事宜。
点击此处可查阅纽伯里法官（Newbury J.A.）的判决理由。