Biography: Life Sciences

Peter Pliszka is a senior partner in the Toronto office of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, one of Canada's leading litigation and business law firms. Peter acts as trial and appellate counsel before courts in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Peter's litigation practice is focused on product liability and class action proceedings. Peter is regularly retained by corporations from the US and other countries that are involved in Canadian legal proceedings.

He has substantial experience representing clients in product liability proceedings involving issues of design, manufacture and governmental regulation of various products. In addition, Peter regularly advises manufacturers, distributors and retailers on regulatory requirements of various products, risk management issues, recalls, product warnings and product labels/literature.

Peter represents global life sciences companies in class action lawsuits as well as individual lawsuits. In addition, he advises pharmaceutical and medical device companies on various regulatory and contractual issues relating to government drug plans, as well as other commercial issues.

He frequently represents both Canadian clients and foreign clients from the US, Europe, the Caribbean and Japan in international business disputes. He has extensive experience litigating issues of private international law including determination of jurisdiction, governing laws, proof of foreign laws, and enforcement of foreign judgments. Peter has been counsel on the leading Ontario appellate decisions on the issue of when a Canadian court may assume jurisdiction over a foreign defendant, as well as a pending Supreme Court of Canada decision which will redefine the law of Canada on this issue.

Peter is widely recognised nationally and internationally as one of the leading counsel in this area of practice.

Peter received his BA with the gold medal in economics in 1983, and his LLB in 1986. He clerked at the Federal Court of Canada in Ottawa in 1986-87.

Biography: Product Liability Defence

Peter Pliszka is a senior partner in the Toronto office of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, one of Canada's leading litigation and business law firms. Peter acts as trial and appellate counsel before courts in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Peter's litigation practice is focused on product liability and class action proceedings. Peter is regularly retained by corporations from the US and other countries that are involved in Canadian legal proceedings.

Peter has substantial experience representing manufacturers, distributors and retailers in product liability proceedings involving issues of design, manufacture and governmental regulation of various consumer and industrial products. Peter has dealt with a wide array of products including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, food products, motor vehicles, various household consumer products, home electronics equipment, sports equipment, recreational products, power generators, aircraft, forklift trucks, tractor trailer wheel assemblies, fire retardant fabrics, trains, elevator components, industrial machinery, industrial resins and cellular telephones.

Peter has acted as defence counsel in class action proceedings in Canada involving issues of product liability, employee/retirement health benefits and antitrust issues.

Peter regularly advises manufacturers, distributors and retailers on regulatory requirements of various products, risk management issues, recalls, product warnings and product labels/literature.

Peter frequently represents both Canadian clients and foreign clients from the US, Europe, the Caribbean and Japan in international business disputes. He has extensive experience litigating issues of private international law including determination of jurisdiction, governing laws, proof of foreign laws, and enforcement of foreign judgments. Peter has been counsel on the leading Ontario appellate decisions, and the recent Supreme Court of Canada case (decision pending), on the issue of when a Canadian court may assume jurisdiction over a foreign defendant.

Peter is widely recognised as one of the leading counsel in this area of practice, within Canada and internationally. Peter is listed in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory of leading recommended lawyers for product liability litigation in Canada. Since 2007, Peter has been listed in Euromoney Institutional Investor-Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Product Liability Lawyers, and in 2010, Peter was selected for listing in Euromoney's Best of the Best – The Top 25 Product Liability Lawyers in the World.

Peter is the co-author of a leading book for practitioners in Coroners' inquests in Ontario, and he has represented corporations in some of the most high-profile product-related Coroners' inquests in Ontario.

Peter has published numerous articles and is frequently invited to speak at conferences across Canada and the US. Peter has written and spoken on a variety of topics including class actions, product liability, post-sale warnings, product recalls, punitive damages, legal privilege and electronic discovery.

Peter is a member of Product Liability Advisory Council, International Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, Council on Litigation Management, the American Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association and the Ontario Advocates Society.

Peter received his BA with the gold medal in economics in 1983, and his LLB in 1986. He clerked at the Federal Court of Canada in Ottawa in 1986-87.