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PRACTICE PROFILE

Karen Zimmer is a member of the firm’s Defamation, Commercial Litigation, Franchise, IP & Technology and Real Estate Practices. Karen is also a member of the firm’s Appeals Advisory Team. Her practice is primarily focussed on the following areas of civil and commercial litigation: libel and slander claims, fraud claims, misfeasance allegations, contract disputes, shareholder disputes, commercial landlord and tenant matters, franchise disputes, and intellectual property disputes. She is experienced in pursuing her clients’ interests in urgent interlocutory applications, short and lengthy trials, arbitrations and mediations, and in working closely with her clients to negotiate complicated settlements. Her clients are diverse and include health and school boards, societies, professional regulatory bodies, insurers, corporations, partnerships, and individuals.

REPRESENTATIVE CASES*

• Defended a professional regulatory body against complex defamation and misfeasance claims before the Supreme Court of British Columbia; 
• Obtained various urgent Orders in the Supreme Court of British Columbia including an Order to remove a director and shareholder from management;
• Successfully defended the Nanaimo School Board and individual Trustees with David Gooderham in a complex defamation trial that lasted 105 days. Each of the defamation claims were dismissed with costs awarded in the amount of $690,000 (Lane v. Board of School Trustees of SD 68 (Nanaimo/Ladysmith) et al); 
• Successfully defended the Northern Interior Regional Health Board in a 4 week defamation trial with David McKnight (P.G. Restaurant Ltd. v. Northern Interior Regional Health Board et al); 
• Assisted David McKnight in successfully defending the B.C. Federation of Foster Parents Association in a trial on the issue of internet defamation (Carter v. B.C. Federation of Foster Parents Association);  and
• Represented commercial landlord in a 6-day arbitration on the issue of fair market rent.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

• Authored a paper entitled "Risk Management in Defamation for Insurers", 2007
• Co-authored a paper for the Canadian Institute Conference entitled “When words get in the way: Defamation, Negligence and Public Officials”

RECENT CONFERENCES

• Risk Management on the Internet, Canadian Institute, Toronto, 2008
• American Bar Association Forum on Franchise Law, Austin, TX, 2008
• Reputational Risk Management, Canadian Institute, Toronto, 2007
  

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

• Alexander Holburn’s Women’s Forum, Chair
• Canadian Women in Communciations, Member
• Ad IDEM/Canadian Media Lawyers Association, Member
• American Bar Association, Member of Franchising Forum
  and Communications Law Forum