Elisabeth van Rensburg
Elisabeth maintains a broad practice encompassing insurance law, commercial litigation, corporate law, and entertainment law. She is known for delivering strategic, timely, and cost-effective advice, and for guiding clients through complex legal matters with clarity and confidence.
With over a decade of experience in insurance law, Elisabeth has acted for individuals, corporations, and public sector clients in a wide range of matters, including bodily injury, accident benefits, loss transfer & priority, professional liability, sport and recreation liability, tavern liability, commercial general liability, construction disputes, subrogation, and coverage matters. She has been recognized annually since 2023 in Best Lawyers in Canada: Ones to Watch for her expertise in insurance law and personal injury litigation.
Elisabeth maintains a broad practice encompassing insurance law, commercial litigation, corporate law, and entertainment law. She is known for delivering strategic, timely, and cost-effective advice, and for guiding clients through complex legal matters with clarity and confidence.
With over a decade of experience in insurance law, Elisabeth has acted for individuals, corporations, and public sector clients in a wide range of matters, including bodily injury, accident benefits, loss transfer & priority, professional liability, sport and recreation liability, tavern liability, commercial general liability, construction disputes, subrogation, and coverage matters. She has been recognized annually since 2023 in Best Lawyers in Canada: Ones to Watch for her expertise in insurance law and personal injury litigation.
Elisabeth maintains a broad practice encompassing insurance law, commercial litigation, corporate law, and entertainment law. She is known for delivering strategic, timely, and cost-effective advice, and for guiding clients through complex legal matters with clarity and confidence.
With over a decade of experience in insurance law, Elisabeth has acted for individuals, corporations, and public sector clients in a wide range of matters, including bodily injury, accident benefits, loss transfer & priority, professional liability, sport and recreation liability, tavern liability, commercial general liability, construction disputes, subrogation, and coverage matters. She has been recognized annually since 2023 in Best Lawyers in Canada: Ones to Watch for her expertise in insurance law and personal injury litigation.
Beyond insurance, Elisabeth’s practice also extends into commercial litigation, where she primarily represents clients in real estate, breach of contract, and construction disputes. Elisabeth has also been building a corporate and entertainment law practice, leveraging her experience in litigation to help clients proactively identify and manage legal risk.
Known as a persuasive advocate both in and out of the courtroom, Elisabeth has been lead counsel in jury trials, private arbitrations, and administrative proceedings. Her understanding of the litigation process from start to finish gives her clients confidence in her advice. Elisabeth’s clients retain her not only for her acumen, but because she genuinely enjoys building long-lasting solicitor-client relationships. Outside of work, Elisabeth regularly DJs at venues and festivals throughout Toronto. She enjoys cooking, cottaging, and exploring new places.
- Bodily Injury Defence
- Accident Benefits/License Appeal Tribunal (LAT)
- Loss Transfer and Priority Disputes
- Subrogation
- Occupiers’ Liability
- Commercial Host Liability
- Property and Commercial General Liability
- Sport and Recreation Liability
- Products Liability
- Coverage Opinions/Disputes
- Appeals and Counsel Work in Complex Cases
- Environmental Litigation
- Real Estate Litigation
- Professional Negligence / Errors & Omissions
- Professional Liability Litigation
- Human Rights Tribunal
Reuben Wells Leonard Course Prize in Evidence
- The Advocates’ Society
Mentor for “The Big Mingle” event (2020 and 2021)
Member-at-large of the In-House Counsel Practice Group (2020)
Secretary (Executive) of the In-House Counsel Practice Group (2021) - Canadian Defence Lawyers (CDL)
Member of the In-House Counsel Committee (2020-2021) - Canadian Bar Association
- Ontario Bar Association
- Women in Music Canada
- Goncalves v Wawanesa Insurance, 2024 CanLII 54035 (ON LAT)
Successful defence of the Applicant’s request for reconsideration of the previous decision of the Tribunal finding that the Applicant’s injuries fit the definition of “minor injury” prescribed by s. 3(1) of the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, and are therefore subject to treatment within the Minor Injury Guideline.
- Goncalves v Wawanesa Insurance, 2024 CanLII 28834 (ON LAT)
Successful defence of insurer’s determination that Applicant’s injuries fit the definition of “minor injury” prescribed by s. 3(1) of the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, and are therefore subject to treatment within the Minor Injury Guideline.
- Jones-Linton v Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, 2023 CanLII 91428 (ON LAT)
Successful defence of insurer’s determination that Applicant’s injuries fit the definition of “minor injury” prescribed by s. 3(1) of the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, and are therefore subject to treatment within the Minor Injury Guideline.
- 1638385 Ontario Limited v The Kinsmen Club of Oshawa et al. v Ecclesiastical Insurance Office Public Limited Company et al., 2023 (unreported)
Successful argument to have motion to amend statement of claim adjourned sine die on the basis of abuse of process due to ongoing appeal of coverage application decision.
- Aliyev v TD General Insurance Company, 2023 CanLII 72660 (ON LAT)
Successful preliminary issue hearing resulting in a ruling that a staged accident does not meet the definition of an “accident” contained in section 3 of the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule.
- Kha v Security National Insurance Company, 2023 CanLII 84379 (ON LAT)
Successful defence of Applicant’s attempt to relitigate his placement in the Minor Injury Guideline with the Tribunal ruling that the Applicant’s injuries met the definition of a “Minor Injury” as defined in the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule.
- Phan v Security National Insurance Company, 2022 CanLII 93710 (ON LAT)
Successful preliminary issue decision on whether res judicata prevented the Applicant from relitigating the Minor Injury Guideline on the basis of fresh evidence, resulting in dismissal of the Application in its entirety.
- Silver v Intact Insurance, 2022 (unreported)
Successful motion decision concerning the Applicant attempting to add issues to an existing Application. The Tribunal did not allow the Applicant to add the issues.
- El-Shenawy v. Markham Aquatic Club, 2022 HRTO 687 (CanLII)
- Unica Insurance Inc. v Security National Insurance Company, 2022 (unreported)
Successful defence of a priority dispute between insurers initiated by Unica.
- Goncalves v Wawanesa Insurance, 2022 CanLII 6818 (ON LAT)
Successful defence of the Applicant’s request for reconsideration of the previous decision of the Tribunal barring the Applicant from proceeding with a claim for income replacement benefits because she failed to attend an insurer’s examination arranged under s. 44 of the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule.
- Jones v Intact Insurance Company, 2022 (unreported)
Successful motion to extend the deadline for exchanging surveillance evidence, catastrophic impairment reports, and adjourning the hearing.
- Whittle v Campbell et al., 2021 (unreported)
Successful opposed motion to compel attendance at a defence medical examination. Awarded costs thrown away for a failed examination and costs of the motion.
- Polat v TD, 2021 CanLII 35573 (ON LAT)
Successful preliminary issue hearing under section 56 of the SABS on whether the applicant was statute-barred from pursuing her claim for post-104 week income replacement benefits resulting in a dismissal of the application with costs.
- Y.G. v TD, 2020 CanLII 69917 (ON LAT)
Preliminary issue hearing under section 56 of the SABS on whether the applicant was statute-barred from pursuing her claims for medical benefits due to the expiry of the limitation period.
- Security National v Old Republic, 2020 (unreported)
Successful loss transfer arbitration. Arbitrator held that photographs of a heavy vehicle taken after an incident are not prima facie proof of the vehicle’s location on the roadway at the time of the incident for the purposes of the Fault Determination Rules.
- Loye v Bowers, 2020 ONSC 456
After winning at trial, Elisabeth obtained a judgment of over $280,000 in costs and disbursements in favour of her client.
- Loye v Bowers, 2019 ONSC 7280
Successful threshold motion after a five week jury trial with the Court finding that the Plaintiff did not meet the threshold of serious permanent impairment of an important physical mental or psychological function. Action was dismissed with costs.
- Loye v Bowers, 2019 ONSC 7198
Successful motion to strike jury questions. Court struck three heads of damages: future care, housekeeping, and income loss) due to the Plaintiff’s failure to lay the requisite evidentiary foundation.
- Loye v Bowers, 2019 ONSC 7143
Responding to the plaintiff’s motion to re-open his case after he failed to file evidence in support of his claim for damages.
- Loye v Bowers, 2019 ONSC 6651
Contentious pre-trial motion and voir dire brought under s. 22.1 of the Ontario Evidence Act. At issue was whether the Plaintiff’s conviction under the Highway Traffic Act precluded him from re-litigating the essential facts underlying the conviction or whether doing so would constitute an abuse of process.
- Saunders v Monkey See Monkey Do, 2016 HRTO 954
Saunders v Monkey See Monkey Do, 2016 HRTO 1034
Saunders v Monkey See Monkey Do, 2017 HRTO 636
Saunders v Monkey See Monkey Do, 2017 HRTO 1048Successful defence of a human rights application against a daycare facility. After a full hearing on the issues, the Tribunal dismissed the application in its entirety. The applicant’s request for reconsideration was denied.
- Elayathamby v State Farm, 2016 ONSC 5395
Responding to a summary judgment motion on behalf of the plaintiff.