Amelia Staunton (She/Her)
Amelia’s practice focuses primarily on complex personal injury actions. Amelia regularly handles complex claims, including spinal and brain injuries, as well as claims relating to wrongful death, sexual assault, and psychiatric conditions.
Amelia’s practice includes claims arising from motor vehicle collisions, occupiers’ liability claims, commercial host liability, and sport and recreation injuries, as well as claims arising from dangerous or defective products. Amelia’s practice has also included determinations of the statutory bar against worker on worker actions before the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal.
Amelia also defends professions and corporations in respect of alleged breaches of regulatory and professional regimes. Amelia has defended all manner of professionals and businesses in respect of licensing issues and complaints, particularly where those issues intersect with civil liability resulting in personal injury to third parties.
Amelia’s representative work includes:
Occupiers’ Liability
- Amelia has acted for individual defendants, corporate entities, strata corporations, contractors, and property managers in respect of claims arising from the Occupiers Liability Act.
- Examples of representative claims include:
- Allegations of deficient snow and ice removal;
- Allegations of the unsafe accumulation of water and debris in commercial premises; and
- Allegations of dangerous or deficient construction or operation of residential, or commercial residential, premises (e.g. collapse of a deck or balcony; the failure to install safety glass in windows or doors; faulty elevator operation; missing, damaged or defective handrails or stair risers).
Commercial Host (Liquor) Liability
- Amelia has acted for all manner of commercial hosts in respect of claims arising from the service of liquor and activities occurring on and off premises, including bodily injury arising from motor vehicle accidents after overconsumption (driver, passenger, third party) and assaults within and without the premises.
Products Liability
- Amelia has been counsel on behalf of manufacturers, importers, and vendors of products with alleged defects arising from both design and manufacture. Amelia’s practice focuses on products liability claims resulting in personal injury.
- Examples of representative claims include spontaneous fires arising in mechanical and electronic components and chemical burns arising from the improper use of cosmetics.
Sport and Recreation Liability
- Amelia has acted on behalf of sports teams, clubs, and venues in relation to claims of injuries sustained during sporting events.
Motor Vehicle Defence
- Counsel for out-of-province and U.S. insurers in respect of motor vehicle accidents occurring in British Columbia.
- Amelia has acted for trucking companies, rental car agencies, motorcyclists, and individual defendants in a broad range of actions including single and multi-vehicle collisions.
Regulatory and Licensing Defence
- Amelia has acted as counsel for businesses disputing infractions of the Liquor Control and Licensing Act, including conduct of hearings before the tribunal.
- Counsel for naturopaths, dentists, and dental assistants in personal injury matters resulting in complaints to licensing bodies.
Professional Affiliations and Memberships
- Called to the British Columbia Bar, 2004
- Canadian Bar Association
Reported Decisions:
A1802181 (Re), 2021 Canlii 48837 (BC WCAT)
A1903095 (Re), 2021 Canlii 86008 (BC WCAT)
Palomino Holdings (Re), 2018 BCLRB 11(Canlii)
WCAT-2010-02773 (Re), 2010 Canlii 75931 (BC WCAT)
Davis v. Kin’s Farm Market (Lynn Valley) Ltd. 2010 BCSC 677
Yeung (Guardian ad litem of) v. Au, 2006 BCCA 217
Dempsey v. Envision Credit Union et al, 2006 BCSC 750
TKS Developments Ltd. v. Gill and Gill, 2005 BCSC 906
Publications & Speaking Engagements:
Speaker/Presenter – Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association: BC Auto Reform Webinar, CIAA, August 19, 2021 & May 19, 2022
Dolden Wallace Folick LLP newsletter: Co-author – ICBC No-Fault Insurance Model Comes into Effect – May 4, 2021
Dolden Wallace Folick LLP newsletter: Co-author – Covid-19 Update: Limitation Period Extensions – February 19. 2021
Speaker/Presenter – Insurance Institute: Impact of Covid-19 on Litigation & Risk Management, December 8, 2020
Cited: Canadian Lawyer Magazine, When the Mind Fails to Heal, 11 February 2019
Cited: Canadian Lawyer Magazine: Trial Delays in Personal Injury Disputes Add Insult to Injury, 21 October 2019
Dolden Wallace Folick LLP publication: Indivisible Injuries, 2019, 2022
Dolden Wallace Folick LLP publication: A Scar on the Mind: Implications of Saadati v. Moorhead
Speaker/Presenter – Insurance Institute: Trending Topics in Tort Law: Occupiers Liability, October 28, 2017
Dolden Wallace Folick LLP publication: Co-author, Workers’ Compensation Acts and Tort Proceedings, 2008
Co-author: Compensation for the Class: Ascertaining and Distributing Damages in a Competition Class Action, Litigating Conspiracy: An Analysis of Competition Class Actions, Stephen G.A. Pitel, ed. (Toronto: Irwin Law, 2006)
