Expert Report Privilege Waived With Disclsoure to Disability Carrier
Reasons for judgement were published today by the BC Supreme Court, Vancouver Registry, ordering a Plaintiff involved in a vehicle collision injury claim to turn over an otherwise privileged report to the Defendant because the report had been previously disclosed to the Plaintiff’s disability benefits provider.
In today’s case (Malimon v. Kwok) the Plaintiff was involved in a 2015 collision and sued for damages. In the course of the lawsuit the Plaintiff obtained a medico-legal report from a physiatrist. The Plaintiff did not disclose the report to the Defendants maintaining a claim of litigation privilege.
The Plaintiff did share a copy of the report with her long-term disability benefits provider hoping it would assist in their assessment of her claim.
The Defendants succeeded in obtaining an order that the above disclosure waived litigation privilege and the BC Supreme Court ordered that a copy be provided to them. In reaching this decision Master Elwood provided the following reasons: