2014 QCCQ 11878, 2014 QCCQ 11878

Cain Lamarre Casgrain Wells, Avocats, s.e.n.c.r.l. c. Royal Lepage Raymond Tsim inc. 2014 QCCQ 11878 COUR DU QUÉBEC Division des petites créances CANADA PROVINCE DE QUÉBEC DISTRICT DE MONTRÉAL « Chambre civile » N° : 500-32-142934-142 DATE : 1 er décembre 2014 ______________________________________________________________________ SOUS LA PRÉSIDENCE DE L’HONORABLE FRANÇOIS BOUSQUET, J.C.Q. ______________________________________________________________________ CAIN LAMARRE CASGRAIN WELLS, AVOCATS, S.E.N.C.R.L .; 630, boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest. Bureau 2780. Montréal (Québec) H3B 1S6 Demanderesse c.

ROYAL LEPAGE RAYMOND TSIM INC. ; 9120, boulevard Leduc. Bureau 210. Brossard (Québec) J4Y 0L3 Défenderesse ______________________________________________________________________ JUGEMENT ______________________________________________________________________ [ 1 ] La demanderesse, une société d’avocats, réclame 5 051,65$ représentant le solde d’un compte d’honoraires professionnels et de déboursés. [ 2 ] La défenderesse conteste la réclamation pour les motifs suivants : " According to the agreement on legal fees dated December 11, 2008.

The maximum fee to be paid was 20% of the amount collected from the debtor plus disbursement and taxes. The plaintiff will bill the defendant for a maximum amount of $ 3,000 plus taxes. Those fees of $3,000 will be substracted from the above mentioned pourcentage of 20%. If such percentage collected should be higher than $3,000. Copy of agreement as exhibit D-1 Since nothing had been collected. The defendant had already paid the plaintiff 5 cheques of total amount $ 3,435.37 plus taxes.

Copies of 5 cheques as exhibit D-2 On February 28, 2012, plaintiff came to my office and asked me whether I wanted to pursue the matter to collect the amount from the same debtor. I said to continue the matter we started. However, plaintiff had never said that I have to pay any extra fee apart from the fees stipulated on agreement dated November 11, 2008. I understood that the persue was part of the same agreement and was applicable. There would be no rational for me to accept to pay an hourly fees to pursue this case, while the chance of success was lesson than the original one.

I had never been asked to sign a new agreement to persue this case. The invoice No. 22243 dated November 9 th 2012 sent by plaintiff indicated the same case of 9119-3563 Quebec Inc. Copy of invoice as exhibit D-3 Which shown that it was within the same agreement and defendant had already paid to the maximum fees of amount $3,435.37 plus taxes to plaintiff.

Copies of defendant's letters dated April 19, 2013; June 07, 2013 and September 29, 2013 are submitted as exhibit D-4. » [1] [Sic] [ 3 ] L’extrait pertinent de l’entente d'honoraires se lit comme suit : " Further to our meeting of this day, you wish to retain our professional services in connection with the following matter: - Acting on your behalf form claiming a brokerage commission of 65 000 $ plus taxes to 9119-3565 Quebec inc. We thank you and accept to render the required services under the terms described in the attached as modified as follows for the purpose of this agreement:

You will kindly send us the sum of $ 400 as an advance on fees and disbursments with respect to this matter. Please make your cheque payable to Bélanger Sauvé In Trust. This advance will be deposited in our trust account to be subsequently applied to the payment of the account(

s) which we will submit to you. As the matter for which you retain our services could entails court proceedings, this agreement will apply only to the professional services to be rendered until judgment on the merits of the case is rendered by the court of first instance subject however to the provision below concerning any other matter which you may entrust to us subsequently. The undersigned will be both the lawyer responsible for the client and the lawyer responsible for the file, i.e. for rendering the required services.

The fees for services rendered will consist at a percentage of 20% of the amount collected from the debtor, plus disbursements and taxes. The hourly billing rate of the undersigned is presently $210. The undersigned, notwithstanding the above mentioned percentage agreement between you and our firm, will bill you such hourly billing rate for a maximum of 3 000 $, no tax included. Those fees of 3 000 $ will be subtracted of the above-mentioned percentage of 20% if such percentage obtained from the opponent should be higher than 3 000 $.

" [2] (Soulignement ajouté) [ 4 ] La preuve établit que les honoraires litigieux concernent des services rendus, après le jugement, dans le but de tenter, sans succès, d'obtenir le paiement de la condamnation prononcée en faveur de la défenderesse. [ 5 ] L'argument à l'effet que le coût de ces services est inclus dans le prix forfaitaire de 3 000$ n'est donc pas fondé puisque l'entente " apply only to the professional services to be rendered until judgment on the merits of the case is rendered by the court of first instance ". [ 6 ] Le Tribunal ne retient pas, non plus, l'argument de la défenderesse à l'effet qu'elle ignorait que les procédures d'exécution du jugement lui seraient facturées. [ 7 ] La défenderesse allègue en effet que " plaintiff came to my office and asked me whether I wanted to pursue the matter to collect the amount ". [ 8 ] Or, puisque son avocat désirait obtenir une autorisation avant d'entreprendre des démarches additionnelles, la défenderesse savait ou aurait dû savoir que celles-ci ne seraient pas faites gratuitement. [ 9 ] Le Tribunal décide donc que la contestation n’est pas fondée. [ 10 ] La réclamation sera donc accueillie mais seulement pour la somme de 4 120,40$. [ 11 ] En effet, lors du procès, le représentant de la demanderesse affirme avoir conclu avec sa cliente, en mars 2013, une transaction verbale prévoyant que cette dernière lui paierait ce montant en règlement final de toute réclamation. [ 12 ] Compte tenu de cette transaction, la demanderesse aurait dû limiter sa réclamation à 4 120,40$ et, pour ce motif, la défenderesse ne sera pas condamnée aux dépens.

PAR CES MOTIFS, LE TRIBUNAL : CONDAMNE la défenderesse à payer à la demanderesse la somme de 4 120,40$ avec intérêts au taux légal de 5% l’an et l’indemnité additionnelle prévue à l’

article 1619 du Code civil du Québec à compter du 11 novembre 2013, date de la lettre de mise en demeure, pièce P-2 ; LE TOUT , sans frais. __________________________________ FRANÇOIS BOUSQUET, J.C.Q. Date d’audience : 17 novembre 2014