Emily Painter
Emily is an associate at the firm whose practice focuses on class actions, medical malpractice and personal injury.
In her class action work, Emily represents people and communities whose most fundamental rights have been violated and helps them seek justice, accountability and remedies against individuals, governments, institutions and corporations. As part of this work, Emily has represented Indigenous children and families, survivors of childhood sexual abuse, patients affected by large-scale medical negligence, vulnerable populations whose constitutional rights were violated, and consumers seeking redress from large corporations.
Emily also represents individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by serious injuries, medical negligence and wrongful death. She understands that behind every case is a person or family navigating one of the most difficult periods of their lives and is committed to guiding you through every stage of the litigation process with compassion and determination to maximize the compensation you receive.
Fluently bilingual, Emily represents individuals of all ages throughout Québec and handles most of her cases on a contingency fee basis, allowing her clients to not pay legal fees unless and until they obtain compensation.
Before joining Kugler Wechsler in 2022, Emily served as counsel with the Department of Justice Canada.
S. Frances Norych Memorial Scholarship — Awarded by the Faculty of Law at McGill University to a student entering a full-time BCL/JD program on the basis of their distinguished academic records.
Indigenous Child Welfare Class Action (ongoing) — Part of the legal team representing thousands of Indigenous children, youth and families in a class action alleging systemic discrimination by the federal and provincial governments in the provision of child welfare and essential services since 1975.
Class Action against Dr. Florin Ioan Mija and CIUSSS Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (ongoing) — Representing approximately 8,000 patients in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region whose pathology and cytology specimens were subjected to large-scale review following irregularities in diagnostic testing. The Court of Appeal confirmed the authorization of the class action, allowing affected patients and their families to pursue claims arising from the review and alleged diagnostic errors.
Unlawful imprisonment of homeless persons (ongoing) — Advancing a class action against the City of Gatineau and the Attorney General of Québec for the unlawful imprisonment of people experiencing homelessness for unpaid municipal fines despite statutory protections prohibiting such imprisonment.
Right to Vote Class Action (ongoing) — Representing individuals who were deprived of their constitutional right to vote while detained. The proposed class action seeks to hold the federal and Québec governments accountable for preventing eligible electors from exercising one of Canada's most fundamental democratic rights.
François Lamarre Sexual Abuse Class Action (2024) — Represented survivors of sexual abuse in a class action against former hockey coach François Lamarre. The legal team secured court approval of a settlement providing up to $10.25 million in individualized compensation through a confidential, trauma-informed claims process.
Consumer Protection Class Action against SiriusXM Canada (2023) — Assisted in securing a $22 million settlement on behalf of Québec consumers whose SiriusXM subscription fees were allegedly unilaterally increased without adequate notice, in violation of Québec’s Consumer Protection Act.
« Bonjour Me Painter et Me Wechsler
Je prends ce moment pour vous transmettre mes sincères remerciements et ma grande gratitude pour votre accueil dès le début, votre compréhension, votre support constant et votre travail exceptionnel.
Simplement le fait que vous avez écouté et compris mon problème. Il y a un meilleur mot en anglais, my ordeal, vous m’avez apaisée.
Pour ceci je suis tellement reconnaissante.
Merci à toute votre belle équipe
Et un jour j’espère pouvoir vous remercier en personne !
Au plaisir de vous revoir »
McGill University, LL.B./B.C.L., 2019
Queen’s University, B.A. (Hons.), 2015
Barreau du Québec
Canadian Bar Association
Barreau de Montréal