Ilan Ishai has a litigation practice focusing on class actions, commercial disputes, and appellate advocacy. He has acted on behalf of clients in various complex and multi-party commercial, products liability, competition, fraud, director/officer liability and oppression matters. Ilan has appeared as lead counsel before all levels of court in Ontario, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. He provides strategic advice to companies and individuals at all stages of complex litigation.
Ilan has defended clients across a broad variety of industries in claims involving automotive parts, misrepresentation claims, consumer products, insurance, and anti-competitive conduct. He has recently acted for:
- Volkswagen in defence of several class actions and individual claims relating to emissions in its diesel vehicles;
- The Beer Store in the successful defence and summary dismissal of a $1.4-billion competition and consumer class action alleging anti-competitive conduct and unjust enrichment;
- Hyundai and Kia in defence of class actions relating to (a) allegedly defective engines that create a risk of non-crash engine failure or fire and (b) an alleged defect in the airbag control unit that creates a risk of airbag non-deployment;
- Equitable Bank in a claim against its insurer for a denied fidelity bond claim arising from forged loan documentation; and
- General Motors in defence of class actions relating to alleged emissions misrepresentations, fuel pump defects, and ignition switch defects.
As part of his pro bono activities, Ilan recently represented the National Self-Represented Litigants Project in an intervention at the Supreme Court of Canada in Pintea v. Johns, in which the Court ultimately endorsed the CJC's Statement of Principles on Self-represented Litigants and Accused Persons. Ilan also acts as duty counsel to self-represented parties appearing in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
Ilan joined Bennett Jones after summering and articling with the firm. He is a member of the Advocates' Society, the Canadian Bar Association, the Toronto Lawyers Association, and the New York State Bar Association. Ilan also serves on the Board of Directors of the Toronto Design Offsite Festival, a not-for-profit dedicated to the enhancement and promotion of Canadian design.
Bennett Jones