Robert Sottile

Member

Robert focuses his civil litigation practice on prosecuting subrogated claims on behalf of commercial property insurers. He has considerable experience with claims involving catastrophic and complex property losses, including industrial plant failures, construction defects, fires, explosions, floods, transportation claims, and oil and gas production failures. He has litigated cases involving product and tort liability, professional liability, municipal liability, motor carrier liability, and maritime law.

Robert has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the Federal Court of Canada. He has experience conducting trials, arguing motions, and preparing for appeals. Robert is also called to the bar in the Province of Alberta, where he has appeared before the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench.

He joined the firm in 2014 as an articling student and became an associate upon his call to the Ontario bar in 2015. Robert received both his Honours Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto.

 

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Experience

After a four-week trial, we secured a judgment awarding our clients more than $24 million in an action against a contractor that had been hired to operate and maintain an oil field owned by our clients' insured. A pipeline failed in multiple locations, releasing a substantial volume of oil and necessitating environmental remediation. After a decade of the defendant steadfastly denying liability, we presented compelling evidence at trial that the contractor's negligent maintenance of the pipeline caused the catastrophic failure. ISH Energy Ltd. v. Weber Contract Services Inc., 2019 ABQB 221.


Secured a $5.25 million CAD recovery for a property owner and several insurance companies in a case arising from an explosion at a pulp and paper mill located in Prince George, BC. The recovery was the culmination of years-long litigation against the company that designed various upgrades to an air system boiler that exploded at the mill. We were able to show that the secondary air system for the boiler was defective, allowing for a buildup of unburned deposits which caused the explosion.


News

Cozen O'Connor Promotes 29 Attorneys to Member

March 20, 2023

Cozen O'Connor is proud to announce the promotion of 29 attorneys to member.

Publications

Sanofi Pasteur and Covenants to Insure [Subrogation & Recovery Law Blog]

June 15, 2015

The co-author of the following post, Robert Sottile, is an Articling Student with Cozen O'Connor. The Court of Appeal has recently published a new decision regarding covenants to insure in Ontario. In Sanofi Pasteur Limited v. UPS SCS, Inc., 2015 ONCA 88, the plaintiff, Sanofi, contracted with...

An Overview of Recognizing and Enforcing Foreign Judgments in Canada [Subrogation & Recovery Alert]

December 16, 2014

Multinational transactions and international commerce fostered the growth of international legal disputes. One issue is when a plaintiff is granted a judgment against a non-resident defendant with no assets in the jurisdiction of the court issuing the judgment. To obtain recovery, the plaintiff must locate a jurisdiction with defendant’s assets and apply to a court for recognition and enforcement of the judgment. This alert provides an overview of the framework developed by Canadian common-law provinces for the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.

Gross Negligence in Oil Well Drilling: Alberta Queen’s Bench Clarifies the Standard Required of Oil & Gas Drilling Operators [Subrogation & Recovery Law Blog]

December 08, 2014

The author of the following blog post, Robert Sottile, is an Articling Student with Cozen O'Connor. The recent decision of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Bernum Petroleum Ltd v Birch Lake Energy Inc (Bernum)[1], outlines the requirements to establish gross negligence in losses involving...

Industry Sectors

Education

  • University of Toronto, J.D., 2014
  • University of Toronto, B.A., 2010
  • Ontario
  • Alberta