Luisa Ritacca

Luisa’s practice encompasses a wide variety of areas, including administrative law; professional regulation; and general civil and commercial litigation. She is preferred counsel for LawPro, having acted on its behalf on a number of court motions. Prior to joining the Firm in 2001, Luisa clerked for the Divisional Court, General Division, Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto. Luisa has been a partner since 2006 and a member of the Firm’s management committee since 2008. She is an adjunct professor for the Trial Practice Course at Osgoode Hall Law School and a team leader for the Intensive Trial Advocacy Program (“ITAW”).

Luisa has been involved in three judicial inquiries, including serving as co-counsel to the Office of the Chief Coroner in the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology (the “Goudge Inquiry”), counsel for the North York General Hospital nurses during the SARS review, counsel for Peter McCallion in the Mississauga Judicial Inquiry, and counsel to the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario in the Elliot Lake Inquiry.

In 2013, Luisa was appointed by former Chief Justice Warren Winkler to act as court monitor in the administration of two pan-Canadian settlements involving the tainted blood scandal, as well as the settlement involving water contamination in Walkerton, Ontario.

In February 2016, Luisa received an Order-in-Council appointment as a part-time member of the Licence Appeal Tribunal, Fire Safety Commission and the Animal Care Review Board. In that role, she has conducted a number of hearings and case conferences.

Luisa is counsel for the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports and has appeared on a number of anti-doping cases over the last several years. In addition, Luisa acts for students facing academic and non-academic related charges at secondary and post-secondary institutions throughout the Province.

Luisa also acts as independent legal counsel for a number of regulated health colleges and administrative tribunals throughout the province, including the College of Opticians of Ontario, the College of Naturopaths of Ontario, the College of Midwives of Ontario, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario, the Human Resources Professional Association and the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council. In this role, Luisa provides substantive and procedural advice during hearings, as well as ongoing training for adjudicators.

• Parsons v. The Canada Red Cross Society et al, McCarthy v. The Canadian Red Cross Society et al
  Court Monitor in the administration of the tainted blood settlements involving persons infected with Hepatitis C through the receipt of blood or blood products in Canada between 1986 and 1990 and persons infected with Hepatitis C through the receipt of blood or blood products in Canada prior to 1986 and after 1990.
• Smith v. The Corporation of the Municipality of Brockton et. al
  Court Monitor in the administration of the settlement involving the contaminated water supply in Walkerton Ontario.
• CCES re Barber (SDRCC DT 16-0249); CCES re Youssef (SDRCC DT 15-0225); CCES re Brown (SDRCC DT 14-0205)
  Co-counsel to the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports in a number of anti-doping hearings, including three involving Pan Am and Olympic bound athletes, who tested positive for prohibited substances, including most recently.
• Counsel to a commercial landlord in a dispute regarding damages arising from a repudiation of a lease by a long-term tenant.  Stockwoods was successful in obtaining significant damages for the landlord representing both lost rental income and opportunity costs.
• Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology (the “Goudge Inquiry”)
  Co-counsel to the Office of the Chief Coroner. Represented the interests of the Office of the Chief Coroner and its various employees at the Goudge Inquiry hearing, which involved preparing clients to be interviewed and give evidence, attending the hearing to cross-examine witnesses and ultimately to make submissions on our client’s behalf.
• Co-counsel for Peter McCallion in the Mississauga Judicial Inquiry
• Co-counsel for the North York General Hospital nurses during the SARS review
• Starting in 2005, Justice Archie Campbell conducted a review of the medical community and government’s response to the SARS outbreak of 2003. Luisa and others at Stockwoods represented a number of nurses employed at the North York General Hospital during the relevant time period.
• Bruno Appliance Inc. v. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP et al /Fred Mauldin et al v. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP et al /Demessey Ltd. v. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP et al
  These three cases involve claims against a law firm, a former partner, and their former client. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants were engaged in business activities that amounted to a fraudulent investment scheme. Stockwoods successfully defended motions for summary judgment brought by the plaintiffs in the first two cases and had parts of the claim in the third case struck by the court as well as obtained significant awards of costs and security for costs for their client.
• R. v. Robinson
  Acted as counsel on behalf of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission on an application for an order of certiorari quashing telewarrants, which were used as part of a criminal investigation. The evidence obtained during the search in the criminal investigation was then used in proceedings before the Board. The court dismissed the application, which allowed the Board to make use of the evidence in its proceedings.
• W&T Mushrooms v. Ontario Food Terminal Board
• in her ongoing role as counsel to the Ontario Food Terminal Board, Luisa acted on the Board’s behalf on an application for relief from forfeiture involving a tenant of the Board’s Farmers’ Market.
• Grigonis v. Toronto Boardsailing Club
  Counsel to two former directors of the Toronto Boardsailing Club, who had been named in a defamation action commenced by another member of the Club. The statement of claim was struck without leave to amend. The Court of Appeal upheld the motions judge decision and dismissed the action.
• Mattel v. MGA
  A dispute between the makers of the Barbie doll and the makers of the Bratz doll. Luisa represented a witness, who was subject to a letters of request application. On consent, the application was narrowed and the witness was examined by U.S. counsel, in Ontario, in place of giving evidence at trial in California.
• 2878852 Canada Inc. v. Jones Heward Investment Counsel Inc.
  Acted as co-counsel on behalf of the plaintiff in an action against its former portfolio managers for the negligent mismanagement of its investments. We were successful for the plaintiff at trial and on appeal.