Éric Hardy
Partner
Éric Hardy’s practice focuses principally on commercial litigation, insurance, civil liability, manufacturer’s liability and corporate litigation and arbitration. He also has considerable experience in professional liability matters as he has represented dentists, doctors, land surveyors, securities brokers and life, health and casualty insurance brokers before the courts.
Mr. Hardy acts, mainly in defence, in actions in damages resulting from searches, defamation, bodily injury and property damage. He has also acted in cases relating to contested municipal by-laws and product liability cases. Mr. Hardy is consulted frequently on insurance policy coverage issues. He has represented local and international insurers, including Lloyd’s.
Some years ago, he acted in a major file in which an attempt was made to penetrate banking secrecy in a tax haven. He also acted recently in a major class action involving compulsive gambling in which he represented a manufacturer of video lottery terminals.
Mr. Hardy acted as Québec Chair of our students committee for five years.
As an FCAR and Commonwealth Scholar at Queen Mary College, University of London, Mr. Hardy studied intellectual property, information technology and comparative law. Upon being called to the Bar, he joined another large Montréal law firm as a litigation lawyer. In 1992, he joined our Québec office.
Law school
LL.B., Université Laval, 1987
LL.M., University of London, 1989
Selected client work
Mr. Hardy has acted for the following clients:
- A manufacturer of video lottery terminals as the intervenor in a class action relating to compulsive gambling in which damages of $700 million were claimed. The trial lasted over a year and was the largest civil case ever heard in the judicial district of Québec
- A Quebec municipality as the defendant to an action for about $5 million following allegedly illegal searches by its police force
- A maxillofacial surgeon in an action for over $3 million which was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada
- A manufacturer of vascular prostheses (stents) in major litigation against a research centre
- Lawyers in professional liability suits
- The plaintiffs in an action for over $1 million against a manufacturer of industrial sanders
- A ski resort as the defendant to a major action for bodily injury
- Numerous municipalities as the defendants to actions relating to their firefighting services
- Various parties in the analysis of general, professional, errors and omissions (E&O) and directors and officers' (D&O) liability insurance policies
- Shareholders seeking oppression remedies before the courts or arbitrators
Rankings and recognitions
- Benchmark Canada, 2012-2013 - recognized as a local litigation star in Quebec; Litigation star in Canada in Class Actions
- Best Lawyers in Canada, 2013 - Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Director and Officer Liability, Personal Injury Litigation, Securities Law
- Best Lawyers in Canada, 2012 - Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Director and Officer Liability, Personal Injury Litigation
- LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, BV Peer Review Rating
- Commonwealth Scholar at Queen Mary College, University of London
Memberships and activities
- Canadian Bar Association
- Quebec Bar
- General Council
- Strategic Planning Committee
- Quebec City Bar
- Treasurer
- Committee on the Illegal Practice of Law
- Former Secretary and Treasurer of the Junior Bar Association