Shareholder and Business Partner Disputes in Ontario

Are you a shareholder who has been excluded from important business decisions, denied access to information, or treated unfairly by those controlling the company? Are you involved in a disagreement with a business partner over management, finances, compensation, ownership, or the future direction of the business? Or are you facing allegations that your own conduct has violated another shareholder’s or business partner’s rights? A shareholder dispute or business partner dispute can disrupt business operations, damage valuable commercial relationships, and place your ownership interest, investment, or control of the business at risk.

What a shareholder dispute may engage

Your rights, obligations, and available remedies will depend on the structure of the business, the agreements between the parties, and the conduct giving rise to the dispute.

Shareholder disputes may engage Ontario’s Business Corporations Act, including:

• the oppression remedy
• derivative actions
• compliance orders
• applications concerning the winding-up of a corporation

Disputes between business partners may also turn on shareholder, partnership, or other commercial agreements and applicable common-law principles.

Issues that can make early strategic decisions important

Issues involving fiduciary duties, access to corporate information, diversion of business opportunities, misuse of company funds, dilution of ownership interests, exclusion from management, and the valuation or purchase of an ownership interest can make early strategic decisions particularly important.

How Zel Law can help

If a disagreement between shareholders or business partners is threatening the operation, ownership, or value of a business, speaking with a commercial litigation lawyer early can help you understand your rights, assess the available remedies, and determine whether the dispute can be resolved through negotiation or requires court proceedings. Zel Law’s litigation lawyer has experience with disputes involving shareholders and closely held businesses. Book a consultation to discuss:

• the corporate records
• shareholder or partnership agreements
• financial information
• communications between the parties
• the legal options that may apply

Related disputes

This is part of Zel Law’s business & commercial litigation practice in Ontario. For how fees work, see our flat-fee options.

• Commercial Contract & Unpaid Invoices
• Business Licensing Disputes