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Torts - Pleadings in Intentional Torts. Ceballos v. DCL International Inc.
In Ceballos v. DCL International Inc. (Ont CA, 2018) the Court of Appeal held that in order to support a claim of intentional tort, that pleadings must be particular:[10] There is no question that, if sufficiently and adequately pleaded, allegations of conspiracy, fraudulent misrepresentation and other tortious conduct may form the basis of a reasonable cause of action against an officer or a director of a corporation: see, for example, 1175777 Ontario Ltd. v. Magna International Inc., 2001 CanLII 8529 (ON CA), [2001] O.J. No. 1621 (C.A.).
[11] However, to invoke those exceptions that permit the piercing of the corporate veil, the claim must be specifically pleaded. As Carthy J.A. said in ADGA Systems International Ltd. v. Valcom Ltd. (1999), 1999 CanLII 1527 (ON CA), 43 O.R. (3d) 101 (C.A.), at para. 39:The operative portion of this paragraph is the final sentence which confirms that, where properly pleaded, officers or employees can be liable for tortious conduct even when acting in the course of duty. [Emphasis added.] [12] Bald or vague assertions of intentional tortious conduct are insufficient to defeat a r. 21 motion. The pleading of intentional torts must meet a stringent standard of particularity, that is, they must be pleaded with “clarity and precision”: Lysko v. Braley (2006), 2006 CanLII 11846 (ON CA), 79 O.R. (3d) 721 (C.A.), at para. 144.
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