Laurent Nahmiash LL.B., Partner

Laurent Nahmiash is a member of the board of the Montréal office and of the following three practice groups: Class Actions, Insurance, and Pensions & Benefits. His practice primarily consists of class action defence work, as well as pension plan, insurance and commercial litigation.

Laurent is regularly retained by the automotive industry and currently represents 15 vehicle manufacturers and their credit affiliates in various consumer protection and product liability class actions. He represented the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA) in its successful intervention in the landmark Agropur decision of the Québec Court of Appeal. He is currently involved in various securities class actions. He also defends pharmaceutical clients in various pending class actions.

He currently advises pension committees and has been retained to defend various class actions involving pension surplus, entitlement disputes, contribution holidays and alleged breaches of fiduciary duties by pension trustees.

Laurent is also regularly retained to defend insurance brokers and financial advisors, and planners in the context of professional liability claims, both before the civil courts and disciplinary bodies. He has been retained as coverage and defence counsel by numerous insurance carriers.

Laurent has amassed considerable commercial litigation and arbitration experience and has been involved in a number of cross-border and offshore statute lawsuits in the U.S., particularly in high-technology and e-commerce cases.

Laurent is a regular commentator and speaker on the subject of class actions and pension plan litigation.

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Laurent has expertise in the following fields:

  • Class actions
  • High-technology litigation
  • Pension plans and surplus ownership claims
  • Insurance coverage and litigation counsel for property, general, commercial and professional liability policies, 3-D policies, and directors’ and officers’ life and disability insurance coverage claims
  • Trust and fiduciary liability disputes
  • Mediation and arbitration
  • Film finance litigation
  • Product liability and fire-related litigation
  • Intellectual property infringement litigation
  • Corporate litigation, shareholder disputes and plan of arrangements
  • Injunctions and seizures
  • Cross-border and offshore statute litigation
  • Advertising law
Representative Work
Skarstedt v. Corporation Nortel Networks, C.A. Montréal, 2011 CanLII 767 (QCCA) : representing the Teachers, OPT and New Jersey Department of Treasury pension funds in the context of the Nortel I and Nortel II class actions pending before the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal of Québec
Contat v. GMCL et al., C.A. Montréal, 2009 CanLII 1699 (QCCA): representing eight automotive companies in the successful dismissal of a multibillion-dollar class petition concerning the alleged false credit rate advertising and contractual violations of the Québec Consumer Protection Act
Representation of various automobile manufacturers and related finance companies in 10 class actions pending before the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal of Québec in the area of consumer protection and product liability
Representation of the former pension committee members of Jeffrey Mine Inc. in the context of two class actions pending before the Superior Court of Québec, concerning alleged inadequate investment policies
Prior Speaking Engagements
Speaker at the 8th National Symposium on Class Actions, Osgoode Hall Law School, April 28 and 29, 2011
"Les recours collectifs au Québec: 30 ans plus tard", February 2011
"Responsabilité fiduciaire et professionnelle à l’égard des investissements en matière de régimes de retraite", International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, San Diego, November 22 to 24, 2010
“Le recours collectif en droit de la consommation et en droit de la concurrence - Développements récents”, Québec Bar Symposium, October 2009
“Responsabilité fiduciaire et professionnelle à l’égard des investissements en matière de régimes de retraite”, Federated Press Conference Center, September 2009
Contact Information
Montréal
+1 514 878 8818
laurent.nahmiash@fmc-law.com
Year of Call
1985 (Quebec)
Education
Université de Sherbrooke, LL.B., 1984
McGill University, Political Science, 1979-1981
Languages Spoken
English
French