2022 QCCA 15, 2022 QCCA 15

Succession de Longo 2022 QCCA 15 COURT OF APPEAL CANADA PROVINCE OF QUEBEC REGISTRY OF MONTREAL No: 500-09-029819-216 (500-17-117801-210) DATE: January 10, 2022 BEFORE THE HONOURABLE FRÉDÉRIC BACHAND, J.A. IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF THE LATE BAMBINA LONGO DOMENICO DEL PAPA APPLICANT – Plaintiff v.

IOLANDA DEL PAPA, in her capacity as co-liquidator of the estate of the late Bambina Longo SILVIA DI PIETRO, in her capacity as co-liquidator of the estate of the late Bambina Longo RESPONDENTS – Defendants JUDGMENT [ 1 ] The applicant seeks leave to appeal from a judgment of the Superior Court, district of Montreal (the Honourable Mr.

Justice Gregory Moore), rendered on December 1, 2021, dismissing an application he made as legatee by particular title of his mother’ succession. [ 2 ] The application, which sought an order for the immediate transfer of an immoveable property bequeathed by the deceased, was made under

article 808 C.C.Q. : 808. If the property of the succession is sufficient to pay all the creditors and all the legatees by particular title and if provision is made to pay the claims that are the subject of proceedings, the liquidator pays the known creditors and known legatees by particular title as and when they present themselves . The liquidator pays the ordinary public utility bills and pays the outstanding debts as and when they become due or according to the agreed terms and conditions. 808.

Si les biens de la succession sont suffisants pour payer tous les créanciers et légataires particuliers et pourvu qu’une provision soit faite pour payer les créances qui font l’objet d’une instance, le liquidateur paie les créanciers et les légataires particuliers connus, au fur et à mesure qu’ils se présentent .

Il paie les comptes usuels d’entreprises de services publics et il rembourse les dettes qui demeurent payables à terme, au fur et à mesure de leur exigibilité ou suivant les modalités convenues. [Emphasis added] [ 3 ] The first-instance judge dismissed the application on the ground that it was not apparent from the record that the succession’s property was sufficient to pay all creditors and all legatees by particular title. [ 4 ] The application was made in the course of an ongoing proceeding which concerns a dispute involving the applicant and the respondents, who are his sisters, in their capacity as co-liquidators.

That proceeding was initiated in June 2021, when the applicant filed an originating application seeking the replacement of all three co-liquidators — himself and his two sisters — by an independent professional liquidator. The application at issue here was filed in late November 2021. [ 5 ] The applicant seeks leave to appeal under

article 31 al. 2 C.C.P. His position is that the impugned judgment was rendered in the course of a proceeding within the meaning of that provision and that it “determine[d] part of the dispute/ [a] décid[é] en

partie du litige ”. [ 6 ] I agree. While the June 2021 and November 2021 applications are distinct, they were joined in a single proceeding which is still ongoing. The applicant is thus correct to characterize the impugned judgment as a one rendered in the course of a proceeding within the meaning of

article 31 C.C.P. [1] He is also correct to characterize the judgment as one that determined part of the dispute, because it dealt fully and finally with its claim based on

article 808 C.C.Q. [ 7 ] As my colleague Justice Bich compellingly explained in 2020, those findings do not suffice to grant leave to appeal: [2]

[L]a

partie requérante doit également montrer ce en quoi le jugement est affligé, du moins en apparence, d’une erreur de nature, potentiellement, à entraîner une intervention de la Cour. Mais cela encore ne suffit pas : elle doit également démontrer que l’appel projeté sert le « meilleur intérêt de la justice » ainsi que la saine administration de celle-ci (art. 9 et 18 C.p.c. ) et qu’il concorde avec le principe de proportionnalité (art. 18 C.p.c. ).

Afin d’évaluer ces deux dernières conditions, le juge autorisateur se demandera notamment si l’affaire soulève une question méritant l’attention de la Cour et tentera aussi d'apprécier les chances de succès de l’appel envisagé puisque, bien sûr, il sera rarement dans l’intérêt de la justice d’autoriser un appel voué à l’échec. Il tiendra compte aussi du contexte général de l’affaire, du degré d’avancement de l’instance pendante devant le tribunal de première instance, de la manière dont les parties conduisent le dossier, etc. [References omitted] [ 8 ] These requirements are met here.

The proposed grounds of appeal are serious, and the appeal will provide the Court with an opportunity to address important legal questions relating to

article 808 C.C.Q. , such as whether it creates a distinct procedural vehicle that can be used by creditors and legatees by particular title, and what kind of considerations may lead a liquidator to deny payment under

article 808 para. 1 C.C.Q. Also relevant to my decision is the fact that the judgment would have been appealable as of right if the applicant’s claim had been asserted through an originating application rather than in the course of an ongoing proceeding.

FOR THESE REASONS, THE UNDERSIGNED: [ 9 ] GRANTS the application for leave to appeal; [ 10 ] GRANTS leave to appeal; [ 11 ] FIXES the hearing for 60 minutes (30 minutes for appellant and 15 minutes for each of the respondents) on April 29, 2022 in room Pierre-Basile Mignault at 9:30; [ 12 ] ORDERS the appellant, after having notified a copy to the respondents, to file in the Office of the Court, no later than February 6, 2022 , five copies of a written argument not exceeding 15 pages .

All documents necessary for the adjudication of the appeal (judgment under appeal, pleadings, excerpts from depositions, etc.) shall be attached; [ 13 ] ORDERS each of the respondents, after having notified a copy to the appellant, to file in the Office of the Court, no later than March 16, 2022 , five copies of a written argument not exceeding 15 pages each and any supplementary documents; [ 14 ] DIRECTS the parties’ attention to

article 376 C.C.P. and

section 55 of the Civil Practice Regulation (Court of appeal) , which read as follows: 376. The appeal lapses if the appellant does not file a brief or a memorandum within the time limit for filing. The appellate clerk issues a certificate of lapse of appeal, unless an appellate judge is seized of an application for an extension. A respondent or any other party that does not make a timely filing of its brief or memorandum is precluded from filing and cannot be heard at the hearing unless so authorized by the Court of Appeal. 55. Format.

The memorandum shall include a title page, a table of contents and be paginated consecutively. The provisions relating to briefs ( including the final requirements ) apply to memoranda with the necessary adaptations. 376. L’appel devient caduc lorsque l’appelant n’a pas déposé son mémoire ou son exposé avant l’expiration des délais impartis pour ce dépôt. Le greffier délivre un constat de caducité, à moins qu’un juge d’appel ne soit saisi d’une demande de prolongation. L’intimé ou toute autre

partie qui ne respecte pas les délais pour le dépôt de son mémoire ou de son exposé est forclos de le faire; de plus, il ne peut être entendu à l’audience, à moins que la Cour d’appel ne l’autorise. 55. Présentation. L’exposé comporte une page de présentation, une table des matières et une pagination continue.

De plus, les dispositions relatives aux mémoires ( incluant les mentions finales de l’auteur ) s’appliquent aux exposés en faisant les adaptations nécessaires. [ 15 ] REMINDS the parties about Practice Direction G-3 (latest revision: April 20, 2021) which strongly encourages them to attach a technological version of their brief or memorandum and their book of authorities to each hard copy of those documents.

The technological version must be saved on a USB key and must be in PDF format that allows keyword searches and includes hyperlinks from the table of contents to the brief, memorandum or book of authorities and, where applicable, from the argument to the schedules. If the Word version of their argument is available, parties are also invited to put that version on the USB key. [ 16 ] THE WHOLE , with legal costs to follow.

FRÉDÉRIC BACHAND, J.A. Mtre Chiara Kakavas Mtre George Tsanoussas TSANOUSSAS AVOCAT For the applicant Mtre Antonio Iacovelli MILLER THOMSON For the respondent Iolanda Del Papa Mtre Leila Kadri ÉTUDE LÉGALE ME LEILA KADRI For the respondent Silvia Di Pietro Date of hearing: January 6, 2022