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Too many lawyers representing employees are commencing cases of little worth but asking for large amounts in punitive or aggravated damages. The courts are losing patience with such claims, and the lawyers’ credulous clients are being whacked with cost awards.

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In Chin v. Beauty Express Canada Inc., the court awarded Chin seven and a half months’ severance, totalling $16,000. His lawyer claimed costs of $54,777, and most of the trial was spent dealing with Chin’s claim for bad faith damages, which the court dismissed.

In deciding to award no costs at all as the matter should have been brought in Small Claims Court, Justice Morgan pronounced:

“The trial can be objectively characterized as an unfortunate waste of the parties’ resources. The quantity of damages is far outweighed by the legal fees. And that is to say nothing of the court time consumed by what turned out to be a rather small claim.”

The same type of criticism has been meted out to employers who waste courts’ time, with similar cost consequences.

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In Summers v. OZ Optics Limited, Justice Hackland determined that the employer failed to admit facts and law that it should have admitted, unduly lengthened the proceeding, and argued, without any basis —...

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