Since its founding in 1993, the Vancouver boutique Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman has etched itself a formidable niche in the British Columbia legal landscape with its concentration in representing plaintiffs in the areas of aviation, product liability, and, most notably, the ever-increasing capacity for class actions. “Camp Fiorante is the go-to firm for the aviation plaintiff work. In fact, they go to you! That’s their business model.” Another peer notes, “Camp Fiorante has gone very quickly from being a local plaintiff shop to being one of the most important firms in Canada, engaged in some very high-profile litigation raising some very cutting-edge issues.” One class-action-
specific peer confirms, “If I have a product liability class action, I will immediately defer to Camp Fiorante for guidance.”
The chief proponent behind the indirect purchaser class actions, Reidar Mogerman is identified as “one of the key ‘movers’ behind litigation not only in BC but Canada-wide. Class action specialists all throughout the country are taking notice of him and keeping with what he’s up to. Reidar is a very creative guy. He lives is a very eclectic life!” Mogerman is at the helm of several class actions that have set precedent in Canada; in Pro-Sys v Microsoft, he provided lead counsel for a class of plaintiffs against Microsoft on anti-competitive claims. Following certification, this action has advanced to the trial stage, a rare case of a class action doing so. Expert evidence estimates damages at approximately $6 billion and the case involves multiple, novel issues of substance and procedure. Mogerman is also co-lead counsel on ongoing multi-jurisdictional class actions about credit card fees in the case of Watson v. Bank of America and others. This case has generated decisions relating to settlement and fee approval, an important appeal about carriage agreements, and decisions about the recently amended cartel provisions of the Competition Act. Mogerman is also co-lead counsel in yet another ongoing price-fixing litigation relating to LCD screens. More recently, Mogerman has been leading the charge (along with Luciana Brasil of Branch MacMaster) in the plaintiff capacity in the sprawling class action against manufacturers, distributors and retailers of opioids. “I think most will agree,” states one peer, “that Reidar Mogerman is considered the most intellectual and dangerous plaintiff class action lawyer in Canada.” A local peer also notes, “David Jones made partner at Camp Fiorante, I would suggest him as a future star. He works closely with Reidar and has one of those minds that is good for experts and economic theories and concepts that may take the rest of us a while to grasp.”