BREACH OF FIDUCIARY DUTY BY THE WILL MAKER - EXECUTOR AND TRUSTEE'S ROLE - LIMITATION ISSUES? - Part IV
As to the question of fiduciary duty between parent and child, the Supreme Court of Canada in M.(K.) v. M.(H.) held that the relationship of parent and child is fiduciary in nature and that incest was a breach of the parent's fiduciary duty to protect the child's well being and health.
Limitation Periods
It is perhaps the most compelling defence available to counsel defending a parent in such cases that the claim has been brought outside of the conventionally recognized limitation periods.
A significant portion of the decision in M.(K.) v. M.(H.) was devoted to the question of the limitation defences raised by the parent.
In contrast, counsel for the child argued that incest was a separate and distinct tort which was not subject to any limitation period; that incest constituted a breach of fiduciary duty by a parent and is not subject to any limitation period; and if a limitation period applies, the cause of action does not accrue until it is reasonably discoverable. Furthermore, it was argued that the child was of unsound mind pursuant to section 47 of the Limitations Act; that the tort is continuous in nature and the limitation period does not begin to run until the child is no longer subjected to parental authority and conditioning; and that the equitable doctrine of fraudulent concealment operates to postpone the limitation period.
The limitation defence failed and the Supreme Court of Canada held that the tort claim, although subject to limitations legislation, does not accrue until the child is reasonably capable of discovering the wrongful nature of the parent's acts and the nexus between those acts and her injuries. Furthermore, that the discovery took place only when the child entered therapy and the lawsuit was commenced promptly thereafter.
All the best, Suzana and Ian. --------
