retour

Ian C. Matthews

Associé

Toronto

Expertise

Lucy Stinson

Adjointe à la pratique

Toronto
[email protected]
416.367.7233

Ian’s experience includes complex commercial litigation and appellate disputes. He has significant expertise in class actions, representing both plaintiffs and defendants on diverse claims ranging from unpaid overtime to foreign currency exchange issues in Canada and the United States.

Ian has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Prior to joining BLG, Ian practiced at a leading Toronto litigation boutique and a large U.S. law firm. He served as a law clerk to the Honourable Madam Justice Marie Deschamps at the Supreme Court of Canada in 2010-11.

Experience

  • BMO Investments Inc., in defending a proposed class action seeking $200 million in damages in relation to “trailing commissions” charged in connection with certain mutual funds.
  • An individual executive, in defending a $30 million claim alleging fraud and breach of fiduciary obligations and a proposed worldwide Mareva injunction seeking to freeze assets.
  • A group of standardbred horse breeders, in prosecuting a $65 million lawsuit against the Province of Ontario and the provincial lottery and gaming corporation for negligence and breach of contract relating to the cancellation of a revenue sharing arrangement that placed slot machines in racetracks.
  • The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, in successfully responding to an appeal before the Supreme Court of Canada involving the liberty and security of the person interests of mentally ill individuals under s. 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
  • The Information Technology Association of Canada, in an intervention before the Supreme Court of Canada involving the enforceability of online forum selection clauses in consumer agreements.
  • Current and former employees of trucking and logistics company Canada Cartage, in a successfully-certified $100 million class action seeking damages for unpaid overtime.
  • Standard Chartered PLC, in defending and resolving a $1 billion class action alleging price-fixing in the foreign exchange market.
  • Mattamy Homes, in a $400 million dispute regarding the interpretation of the terms of a joint-venture agreement.
  • Two high school students, in a successful constitutional challenge to their principal’s decision to impose a breathalyzer test as a precondition of entry into their prom.
  • NEC Corporation, NEC Canada and TOKIN Corporation, in a successful jurisdictional challenge made in the context of an $85 million class action alleging price-fixing in the market for lithium ion batteries.

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Executive Member, Ontario Bar Association, Class Actions section
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Member, The Advocates' Society
  • Volunteer Lawyer, Pro Bono Ontario
  • Member, Law Society of Ontario

Community Involvement

  • Governance Committee, Toronto Cricket, Skating & Curling Club

Awards & Recognitions

  • Recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada® (Corporate and Commercial Litigation).
  • Recognized in the 2023 and 2021 editions of Lexpert Special Edition: Litigation
  • Recognized in the 2024 (and since 2023) and 2021 editions of the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Litigation - Corporate Commercial) and in the 2024 edition (Class Actions).

Bar Admission & Education

  • New York, 2011
  • Ontario, 2008
  • LLM, Faculté de droit de Harvard, 2009
  • LLB, Université de Windsor, 2007
  • BA, Université McGill, 2003 (Valedictorian)