Peter J. Pliszka

Peter Pliszka acts as trial and appellate counsel in a broad range of tort, commercial and insurance litigation matters in private and class action proceedings before all levels of court in Ontario and before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Peter is listed in the Euromoney/Legal Media Group's Guide to The World's Leading Product Liability Lawyers (published in April, 2007).

Peter has substantial experience as defence counsel for manufacturers, distributors and insurers in product liability proceedings. Peter's product liability practice has dealt with the design, manufacture, operation and governmental regulation of a vast array of consumer and industrial products, including motor vehicles, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, food products, home electronics equipment, sports equipment, power generators, aircraft, forklift trucks, tractor-trailer wheel assemblies, fire-retardant fabrics, trains, elevator components, industrial machinery, industrial resins, and cellular telephones.

Peter regularly advises manufacturers on regulatory requirements of various products, and risk management issues including product warnings and recalls.

Peter has acted as defence counsel for Canadian and U.S. corporations in various class action proceedings in Canada involving issues of product liability, employee post-retirement health benefits and institutional negligence allegations.

Peter has frequently represented Canadian clients and foreign clients from the U.S., Europe and Japan in international business disputes. He is well-versed in issues of private international law including determinations of governing laws, proof of foreign laws, choice of jurisdiction issues, applications to stay lawsuits and relevant Canadian public policy issues.

Peter is the co-author of a leading book for practitioners in coroners' investigations and inquests in Ontario. In the forward to the book, The Honourable Mr. Justice William R. Wolski states that, "The authors of this Annotated Coroners Act are well-known for their legal knowledge and practical skills inside the coroners system. They have consistently pushed at the borders of the inquest process and have helped to shape the modern coroner's inquest." His experience includes acting as counsel for a cellular phone industry association in Coroner's inquest focussed on the cutting-edge issue of driver distractions.

In September 2002, Peter was inducted as a member of Product Liability Advisory Council ("PLAC"). PLAC is a U.S.-based, defence-oriented litigation strategy and networking organization for lawyers with demonstrated skill and experience in product liability litigation. PLAC's membership comprises primarily in-house counsel of large U.S. manufacturing corporations, with a limited number of outside litigation counsel who meet PLAC's selection criteria. Peter is the only Canadian outside counsel to be admitted as a member of PLAC.

Peter has also been admitted as a member of International Association of Defence Counsel (IADC). IADC is an invitation-only, international organization of experienced and prominent corporate and insurance in-house counsel and outside litigation lawyers.

Peter has published numerous articles and spoken at legal conferences in Canada and the U.S. sponsored by American Bar Association, Product Liability Advisory Council, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, The Canadian Institute, Insight Information, The Advocates Society and Ontario Bar Association, on a number of topics including product liability, international litigation issues, class action lawsuits, punitive damages, coroners' inquests, legal privilege issues, electronic discovery, professional liability, expert evidence in legal proceedings, managing the media in litigation.

News

• Firm's Product Liability expertise featured in Law Times
• Peter Pliszka quoted in Canadian Business article on China's quality control mandate

Publications

• The Proposed Canada Consumer Product Safety Act: Beware the "CPSC of the North"
• Regulation of Electrical Consumer Products in Ontario: A Brave New World

Presentations

• Product Recalls: Protecting the Safety of the Public, Your Reputation and the Future of Your Business
• Globalization of Product Liability

Membership/Affiliations

• Product Liability Advisory Council
• International Association of Defence Counsel
• Defence Research Institute
• Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association - Legal Task Force
• American Bar Association - Litigation Section
  • Corporate Counsel Committee
  • Product Liability Committee
  • Business Litigation Committee
• American Bar Association - Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section
  • Emerging Issues Special Standing Committee (2005-06)
  • Self-Insurers and Risk Managers Committee (Chair 2004-05)
  • Product Liability Committee (Vice-Chair, 2002-03)
  • Business Litigation Committee (Vice-Chair, 2001-2004)
• Ontario Bar Association
• The Advocates Society
• Member of Selection Committee, Canadian Bar Association Foundation for Legal Research - Walter Owen Book Prize (2005- )
  

Honours and Awards

• Peer Ranking: Peter has been selected for listing in Euromoney/Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Product Liability Lawyers. The lawyers listed in this Guide were selected based on an international survey of inhouse counsel and experienced outside litigation counsel who practice in this area of law.