Ontario civil | Corporations
CORPORATE IDENTITY
Corporate defendants were alter egos of each other and acted as single business
Plaintiff delivered electrical equipment to defendant companies. Plaintiff claimed it was owed $150,950.16. Defendants did not dispute receiving goods from plaintiff for which they had not paid, but disputed amount owing. Plaintiff brought motion for summary judgment for breach of contract and breach of trust under Construction Lien Act (Ont.). Motion granted in part. Plaintiff’s documents were sufficient to establish account balance and were accepted in absence of any probative evidence to contrary. Plaintiff was awarded judgment of $150,950.16 plus interest. Defendant companies were iterations of same business. It was not clear which company ordered and used goods purchased from plaintiff. It was within defendants’ knowledge which company had benefit of supply of plaintiff’s goods. Defendants were deliberately misdirecting liability among themselves. For purposes of supply contracts at issue, corporate defendants were alter egos of each other and acted as single business and were jointly and severally liable. Individual defendant was operating mind of companies and was person plaintiff dealt with. If there was breach of trust then individual would be liable for it. It was for plaintiff to show that there were trust funds and that funds had been disbursed in breach. Information that was relevant to establishing propositions would be in defendants’ possession and had not yet been produced. Individual defendant failed to attend for cross-examination, but there was evidence that failure was inadvertent and individual defendant was given another chance to discharge his obligation before drawing adverse interference of breach of trust. Individual defendant was to provide list of documents.
Rexel Canada Electrical Inc. v. Tron Electric Inc. (Mar. 31, 2014, Ont. S.C.J., D.L. Corbett J., File No. CV-11-433830) 239 A.C.W.S. (3d) 361.
Corporate defendants were alter egos of each other and acted as single business
Plaintiff delivered electrical equipment to defendant companies. Plaintiff claimed it was owed $150,950.16. Defendants did not dispute receiving goods from plaintiff for which they had not paid, but disputed amount owing. Plaintiff brought motion for summary judgment for breach of contract and breach of trust under Construction Lien Act (Ont.). Motion granted in part. Plaintiff’s documents were sufficient to establish account balance and were accepted in absence of any probative evidence to contrary. Plaintiff was awarded judgment of $150,950.16 plus interest. Defendant companies were iterations of same business. It was not clear which company ordered and used goods purchased from plaintiff. It was within defendants’ knowledge which company had benefit of supply of plaintiff’s goods. Defendants were deliberately misdirecting liability among themselves. For purposes of supply contracts at issue, corporate defendants were alter egos of each other and acted as single business and were jointly and severally liable. Individual defendant was operating mind of companies and was person plaintiff dealt with. If there was breach of trust then individual would be liable for it. It was for plaintiff to show that there were trust funds and that funds had been disbursed in breach. Information that was relevant to establishing propositions would be in defendants’ possession and had not yet been produced. Individual defendant failed to attend for cross-examination, but there was evidence that failure was inadvertent and individual defendant was given another chance to discharge his obligation before drawing adverse interference of breach of trust. Individual defendant was to provide list of documents.
Rexel Canada Electrical Inc. v. Tron Electric Inc. (Mar. 31, 2014, Ont. S.C.J., D.L. Corbett J., File No. CV-11-433830) 239 A.C.W.S. (3d) 361.
