Stéphane Pitre

Partner

Montréal
[email protected]
514.954.3147

Stéphane's practice is focused on class actions, construction and product liability.

In class actions, Stéphane appeared before every court including the Supreme Court. In 2022, he appeared four times as lead counsel before the Court of Appeal. In all four of these cases, the Court of Appeal dismissed the Class Action.

His construction experience includes legal hypothecs, sureties, calls for tenders and all aspects of claims by contractors. Stéphane represents and advises owners, contractors, subcontractors, insurers and bonding companies with regard to all aspects of the construction industry. He has managed an important number of major claims for contractors in the province of Québec and was a key player in the Kiewit v. Hydro-Québec file.

Stéphane also has experience in issues relating to private international law. He has pleaded several cases regarding the jurisdiction of Québec authorities. He has appeared as counsel in all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Experience

  • Class Actions

    • Fortin v. Mazda, 2022 QCCA 635 (Doors of the Mazda 3)
    • Martel v. Kia, 2022 QCCA 1140 (maintenance intervals)
    • Represented Volkswagen in Québec in all cases related to the diesel engines, including shareholder's recoursein Chandler v. Volkswagen, 2022 QCCA 272.
    • Obtained the dismissal of several cases at the authorization stage, including the case of Hébert v. Kia confirmed by the Court of Appeal.
    • Lead litigator in Centre de santé Dentaire Gendron Inc v. Promutuel et al., 2021 QCCA 1758, the first case in Canada involving a business interruption claim related to COVID-19.
  • Construction

    • Involved in several important cases related to major construction projects in Québec, including diversion of the Eastmain River, construction of the new hydroelectric powerhouse in Grand-Mère, construction of the engineering, computer science and visual arts pavilion at Concordia University engineering, Champlain Bridge, Turcot Interchange.
    • Regularly called upon to provide advice on issues related to the professional liability of architects and engineers.
    • Provides advice and acts for companies on various matters relating to product liability.
    • Represents certain automobile manufacturers in their judicial disputes in Québec.
    • Experienced in private international law and pleads several cases under the jurisdiction of Québec authorities.
    • Promotes and makes use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to protect the interests of our clients when the situation permits.

Beyond our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Member, Canadian Bar Association, Construction Law Section
  • Member, Barreau du Québec

Awards & Recognitions

  • Selected by peers for inclusion in the 2024 edition (and since 2014) of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Construction Law) and since 2021 (Insurance Law; Product Liability Law; Class Action Litigation).
  • Canadian Law Awards : Commercial Litigation Team of the Year - Excellence Award (2023) with Anne Merminod, Alexandra Hebert and Alexis Leray for Lamoureux v. Organisme canadien de réglementation du commerce des valeurs mobilières, 2022 QCCA 685
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2018) of Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Construction Law; Litigation – Product Liability) and in 2024 (Class Actions).
  • Recognized in the 2023 edition and since (2017) of Benchmark Canada – The Definitive Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys as a “Local Litigation Star: Québec” and a “Litigation Star: Class Action, Construction, Commercial, Product Liability”.
  • Recognized in the 2023 edition (and since 2020) of The Lexpert®/ROB Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Infrastructure Lawyers.
  • Recognized in the 2023 edition (and since 2021) of Lexpert Special Edition: Litigation

Bar Admission & Education

  • Québec, 1999
  • LLB, Université de Montréal, 1997
  • BAA (Finance and Marketing), HEC Montréal, 1994