David Gadsden

David Gadsden has deep experience in fraud and financial crime matters. He is counsel on multijurisdictional fraud investigations, including related civil disputes and regulatory proceedings. David acted as counsel for a primary defendant in the Sino-Forest litigation, the largest securities fraud class action in Canada. He is known for his pragmatic advice on fraud prevention and investigations, and has extensive expertise in ‘Ponzi scheme’ litigation and asset recapture, including cross-border tracing, Anton Piller orders and Mareva injunctions. David has been recognized as a “Litigator to Watch” in Lexpert’s annual Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers in Canada and has been ranked in Legal 500 for dispute resolution.

Firm/Organization: Baker McKenzie

Blogs: Canadian Fraud Law

Latest Articles

Canadian Fraud Law

Court’s contempt power not to be used to coerce payment

By David Gadsden on June 16, 2016

In a recent 2016 decision in Greenberg v. Nowack, Justice Perell of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed a contempt motion against a stubborn and non-compliant debtor in a judgment debtor examination gone awry. Although sympathetic to the Plaintiffs’ frustration at being unable to recover monies on their judgement, the Court ruled that imprisoning the debtor would be harsh and ineffectual. Justice Perell made this observation about the contempt motion:…

Canadian Fraud Law

Class action certified in alleged fraudulent investment scheme

By David Gadsden on July 9, 2015

On May 4, 2015, Justice A.D. Macleod of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench certified an omnibus class action in Starratt v. Mamdani, 2015 ABQB 280. The class action involves claims of investment fraud and misrepresentation by the defendants brought on behalf of class members in 21 subclasses. Certification was granted despite the case’s complexity, and the varying alleged harms to class members arising from the alleged fraud and misrepresentations of the defendants.…

Canadian Fraud Law

Sino-Forest OSC hearing continues

By David Gadsden on February 5, 2015

The Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC”) has almost completed its case in the high-profile Sino-Forest Corporation (“SFC”) hearing that began on September 2, 2014. SFC and certain of its former executives are alleged to have engaged in widespread fraud relating to its public financial disclosure. Specific allegations involve the fabrication or overestimation of revenue and assets, falsified evidence of ownership, backdated contracts, and undisclosed control over particular customers and suppliers. The hearing is presently on a…

Canadian Fraud Law

OSC engages in its first no-contest settlements

By John Pirie & David Gadsden on October 3, 2014

In a recent post, we explained that the Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC”) had declared its intention to move forward with “no-contest settlements.” These agreements would permit the settlement of enforcement proceedings without requiring the respondent to admit to any misconduct.…

Canadian Fraud Law

Sino-Forest OSC hearing opens

By John Pirie & David Gadsden on September 9, 2014

On September 2, 2014, the Ontario Securities Commission commenced its high-profile hearing in the case of the Sino-Forest Corporation (“SFC“). SFC is alleged to have engaged in widespread fraud relating to its public financial disclosure. The specific allegations involve the fabrication or overestimation of revenue and assets, falsified evidence of ownership, backdated contracts, and undisclosed control over particular customers and suppliers.…

Canadian Fraud Law

The OSC’s introduction of no-contest settlement proceedings

By John Pirie & David Gadsden on June 17, 2014

In October 2011, the Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC“) raised the concept of offering no-contest settlements of the sort commonly employed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC“). On March 11th of this year, after receiving some sharply divided feedback in months of public hearings, the OSC announced that it was moving forward with the introduction of a policy that would permit settlement of enforcement proceedings without requiring an admission by the respondent of misconduct (no-contest…

Canadian Fraud Law

“Fraud on the market” and securities class actions

By John Pirie & David Gadsden on April 2, 2014

Our team has been monitoring some key developments that could soon impact US and Canadian companies that list shares on US exchanges. One of 2014’s most important legal developments is likely to flow from the US Supreme Court’s ruling on “fraud on the market” theory, to be rendered in Halliburton Co. v. Erica P. John Fund Inc. (“Haliburton”). Oral argument in Halliburton took place on March 5, 2014. In Halliburton, the US Supreme Court has…

Canadian Fraud Law

Court approves gold-plated releases despite extensive fraud allegations

By John Pirie & David Gadsden on October 5, 2013

Our team acted for one of the parties in Labourers’ Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada v. Sino-Forest Corporation , where Justice Morawetz of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice approved Ernst & Young LLP’s $117 million settlement relating to class action lawsuits commenced by jilted investors following the downfall of former stock market darling, Sino-Forest Corporation. The $9.2B class action involves significant fraud allegations that call into question Sino-Forest’s structure, reporting and revenues, as well as the…

Canadian Fraud Law

How should a Court divide a shortfall of money among victims of a Ponzi Scheme

By John Pirie & David Gadsden on January 30, 2013

Dividing up a shortfall from a Ponzi scheme was first posed before the United States Supreme Court in 1924. The infamous case of Cunningham v. Brown dealt with the original Ponzi scheme of Charles Ponzi and distributing remaining funds back to victims when his investment scheme was finally unravelled, but left victims with only a fraction of their original investments. Unraveling a Ponzi scheme to return a shortfall of money back among its victims is akin…

David Gadsden

Court’s contempt power not to be used to coerce payment

Class action certified in alleged fraudulent investment scheme

Sino-Forest OSC hearing continues

OSC engages in its first no-contest settlements

Sino-Forest OSC hearing opens

The OSC’s introduction of no-contest settlement proceedings

“Fraud on the market” and securities class actions

Court approves gold-plated releases despite extensive fraud allegations

How should a Court divide a shortfall of money among victims of a Ponzi Scheme

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