Successful Case Summaries
Our client was charged with gaining access to health information in contravention of the Health Information Act. Disclosure showed that our client’s credentials were used to access hundreds of people’s health information thousands of times over the course of a few hours on one day. Anny Wang pointed out to the Crown Prosecutor that access of this kind would not have resulted in fruitful information and that such access is likely due to an interface or network issue. Anny also pointed out to the Crown Prosecutor that proper procedure to charge our client was not followed by the police or the health authorities as the attorney general did not approve the charges. The Crown Prosecutor stayed the proceedings.
Our client was charged with two separate sets of sexual assault charges and was facing a penitentiary jail sentence if convicted of either set of charges. After substantial delays on the part of the prosecutor’s office and court scheduling, Danielle Boisvert applied for and was granted a Stay of Proceedings to address her client’s right to a trial within a reasonable time under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The second set of charges proceeded to a Judge Alone trial in the Court of King’s Bench. At the conclusion of Danielle’s cross-examination of the complainant, the prosecutor offered a Peace Bond with no contact for one year. The rest of the trial did not proceed and all charges were withdrawn.
Our client was charged with domestic assault and two counts of breaching the no contact condition of his release order. Anny Wang prepared defence witnesses willing to give exculpatory evidence who were present during the altercation. At trial, the presiding judge deemed defence witnesses highly credible and acquitted our client of the assault charge. The Crown nonetheless decided to pursue prosecution of the breaches of the no contact condition and sought a monetary fine, which would have left our client with a criminal record. Anny informed the Court of the broader context of the breach – that the police found our client’s communication breaching the no contact was apologetic and concerning their children – and compiled a number of character reference letters from community members speaking to our client’s leadership, generosity, charity, stable employment, and genuine remorse. The presiding justice granted our client an absolute discharge, leaving him with no punishment and no criminal record.
Our client was charged with aggravated assault after an altercation with a neighbour. The complainant and his wife both testified for the prosecution during a judge and jury trial. In cross-examination, Danielle Boisvert highlighted the serious differences in the two main witnesses’ evidence, pointing out that one witness was clearly exaggerating in an attempt to bolster the other witness’s evidence. Danielle Boisvert secured an acquittal by establishing that the Crown witnesses did not give credible evidence and that her client acted in self-defence.
Our client entered an unlocked home late at night while the occupants were asleep and took a bag containing a laptop and some documentation. He was apprehended by police when he attempted to return the items and was charged with breaking and entering to commit theft. During resolution discussions with the Crown Prosecution Services, Anny Wang provided personal antecedents for the client, including Gladue factors, the client’s difficult and impoverished childhood, and significantly mitigating context (that the client had a mental health episode, previously resided in the home now occupied by the complainants, and returned believing that he could be safe there). The Court accepted a joint submission for the lesser and included offence of unlawfully being in a dwelling house and a 6-month Conditional Sentence Order (house arrest and curfew) and 12 months’ probation.
Our client was charged with sexual assault by a woman he met on sugardaddy.com. The matter was set for a 3-day jury trial. After extensive negotiations with the Crown prosecutor, including making the difficult strategic decision to disclose defence evidence to the prosecution, Danielle Boisvert convinced the prosecutor to enter a Stay of Proceedings before trial.
Our client was charged with 16 offences and entered guilty pleas to possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of prohibited device, possession of prohibited firearm with ammunition, possession of cocaine, and breach of probation. During a contested sentencing hearing, the Crown Prosecutor asked the Court to impose a lengthy jail term (to denounce and deter the public and the accused from other firearms offences), and Anny Wang asked the Court to impose a global sentence of 4 months in jail (time the client had already served while awaiting the hearing). Anny Wang outlined the client’s personal circumstances and his low moral culpability for the offences (specifically that he had been trying to prevent a friend from self-harm by removing all instruments of harm from the friend’s home without permission), and the Court sentenced the client to time served. The client was released the same day.
Our client was charged with second degree murder for the death of a neighbour. At the preliminary inquiry, Danielle Boisvert and Kent Haryett’s skilled cross-examination uncovered evidence of a serious breach of our client’s Charter rights by Edmonton Police Service investigators. Significant subsequent meetings between Danielle Boisvert and the Crown prosecutor resulted in a plea bargain to manslaughter and a joint submission for 10.5 years in jail. This case highlights the importance of preliminary inquiries as an important tool in resolving serious and complex cases, which in turn save the court system and most importantly the grieving families from enduring the stress of a long and contentious trial.
Our client was notified by her health insurer of an insurance fraud investigation regarding her past claims. Anny Wang reached out to the insurer and arranged for repayment of the alleged fraudulent claims without the client taking responsibility for fraud. The insurer agreed to a repayment plan and our client was not criminally charged for fraud.
Our client was accused of sexually assaulting his partner after he decided to end the relationship. Our client wisely preserved all text communications between them before, during, and after the break-up. Danielle Boisvert used that communication to demonstrate to the Crown prosecutor the inaccuracy of the complainant’s police narrative. The Crown prosecutor agreed to a peace bond and withdrew the charge.
Our client entered guilty pleas to several counts of failure to comply with conditions of undertaking. Anny Wang presented the sentencing judge with sympathetic personal circumstances and context surrounding the offences, supported by documentation. The Court, also taking into account the client’s lack of a criminal record and his early guilty plea, ordered the client be discharged absolutely.
Our client was charged with assault. He was initially denied for Alternative Measures Programming (AMP). Anny Wang compiled information supporting our client’s good character, mitigating factors, and context for the offence and provided that information to the Crown Prosecution Services, which reconsidered their initial position and accepted him into AMP. After completion of the conditions, the charge was withdrawn.
Our client was charged with aggravated assault, assault and uttering threats against his ex-wife and her sister during an argument over the exchange of children.
Our client was issued Immediate Roadside Sanctions for impaired driving, which were scheduled for a review before a SafeRoads adjudicator. Despite submissions and evidence of our client not in operation of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol, specifically that he was stopped while on foot and not behind the wheel, the Immediate Roadside Sanctions were confirmed by the adjudicator. Anny Wang filed for a Judicial Review of the adjudicator’s decision to the Court of King’s Bench. After submissions and affidavits were filed by Anny Wang, the Director’s legal counsel filed a stay of penalty and conceded the case. The Immediate Roadside Sanctions were subsequently cancelled, our client’s driving licence restored, and his tow and vehicle seizure fees refunded.
Our client was facing several domestic violence charges relating to his girlfriend, who called the police during a verbal argument. His girlfriend later admitted that our client had not assaulted her but wanted police assistance to get him out of their home for the night. Danielle Boisvert referred the complainant to obtain independent legal advice. Upon receipt of this updated statement, the Crown agreed to withdraw all charges.
Our client was initially charged with two counts of uttering threats and theft and released on bail. Multiple additional post-release charges for failure to comply with release orders, failure to attend court, and failure to comply with conditions of a protection order were sworn, and our client was arrested, remanded, and held in custody for several months to await a bail hearing. Bail was denied in an eventual hearing. Our client then reached out to Anny Wang, who was able to negotiate his release within one week. As part of that negotiation, Anny Wang also negotiated the Crown Prosecution Services down from its previous position for a short term jail sentence to a peace bond, and all charges against our client were withdrawn.
Our client, a youth, was charged with sexual assault on another teenager and a two-day trial was scheduled. After extensive negotiation with the Crown Prosecutor, Danielle Boisvert secured a withdrawal of the charge for an 18-month peace bond. The young person was extremely happy to avoid the stress of a trial.
Our client was charged with possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), possession of property obtained by crime, and unauthorized possession of a firearm. Anny Wang had extensive discussions with the assigned federal prosecutor about issues within the prosecution’s case and all charges were withdrawn before trial.
Our client was charged with sexual interference against his teenage niece, arising from a family gathering over the Christmas holidays. On the day of the scheduled preliminary inquiry, the Crown prosecutor finally agreed that the complainant had obviously exaggerated and/or lied in her statement to police. The matter was resolved with a Peace Bond, which guaranteed the withdrawal of the criminal charge and avoided both a trial and a criminal record for our client.
Our client was charged with sexual assault and assault by choking. During cross-examination of the complainant during the judge and jury trial, Anny Wang was able to establish that the complainant’s version of events was inconsistent with earlier accounts as well as the accountants of other witnesses. When Anny Wang pressed the complainant on her continuously evolving version of events, the complainant again changed her recollection on the stand. The jury acquitted our client after a brief deliberation.
Our client, a young person, was charged with assault while at school. Danielle Boisvert informed the Crown prosecutor of proactive rehabilitative steps taken by the young person. Danielle Boisvert negotiated a peace bond for the young person and the charge was withdrawn.
Our client was charged with assault arising from a road rage incident. The physical altercation was captured by dash cam footage. Anny Wang provided our client’s lengthy pro-social contributions to their community to the Crown Prosecutor and negotiated a favorable resolution without a criminal record. When the our client’s pro-social contributions to the community were presented to the presiding judge, the Court also dismissed the Crown prosecutor’s proposal for community service.
Our client had elected to set a jury trial on a historical sexual assault in Red Deer. The trial issues focused on the motives of the complainant to fabricate her allegations, which were to remove our client’s children from his care, and our client’s denial of those allegations. Danielle Boisvert conducted the week-long trial, in which our client testified in his defence, and the jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
Our client was charged with fraud, unauthorized use of computer, mischief in relation to computer data, identity theft, possession of property obtained by crime, and failure to attend court. These allegations involved a complicated fraud scheme, with dozens of complainants across several provinces, and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Anny Wang worked to establish that our client was minimally involved in the larger scheme and accrued little benefit from his participation and negotiated a guilty plea to only possession of property obtained by crime. Our client’s potential sentence was drastically decreased from a lengthy jail sentence to a conditional sentence order with 4 months of house arrest.
Our client was charged with making child pornography for a comment he made on an adult-only dating application. After Danielle Boisvert engaged in extensive negotiations with the prosecutor, a plea negotiation was reached in which our client plead guilty to ‘distributing obscene materials’ and avoided jail time and avoided registration on the Sexual Offender Registry.
Our client was charged with multiple counts of possession of scheduled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of scheduled substances, failure to comply with undertaking, and several counts of failure to appear for court. After Anny Wang engaged in lengthy and continuous discussions with the Crown prosecutor regarding the likelihood of conviction, specifically the amount of scheduled substances found with the client and the validity of the police search, the matter was resolved by way of a guilty plea to possession of scheduled substance and failure to appear and our client was given a small fine.
Our client was charged with assault by choking against his domestic partner. Upon review of the very different versions of events proffered by both sides, Danielle Boisvert identified credibility problems and self-defence as legal issues that needed to be resolved at trial. A trial date was scheduled for the spring of 2025. Without revealing her defence strategy, Danielle Boisvert informed the Crown prosecutor of the problems they would have in proving the case against her client. As a result of her efforts, the charge against our client was withdrawn months before the trial date.
Our client was charged with causing unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal. After reviewing the disclosure, Anny Wang determined that the witness and reporter of the offence would not be able to identify the perpetrator. She advised our client to bring a number of friends of similar appearance and age to trial. When the Crown witness was unable to indicate if the perpetrator of the offence was among the group of young men, the Crown prosecutor stayed the proceedings against our client.
A youth client with no criminal record was charged with robbery. Danielle Boisvert reviewed the evidence and determined that the claims made against the client were exaggerated. After a discussion with the Crown prosecutor, the charges were withdrawn before a trial date was scheduled.
Our client was charged with impaired driving, operation while impaired by drugs, and dangerous driving. Anny Wang reviewed police helicopter footage, which confirmed that the licence plate and make and model of the vehicle was registered to our client. It also recorded our client, identified as the driver by arresting officers at the scene, driving at high speeds, swerving, and even driving backwards in a residential neighbourhood until his vehicle was rammed by police cruisers. The helicopter footage also showed the police engaging in unnecessary and excessive force against our client during arrest. After bringing this Charter rights violation to the Crown prosecutor, Anny Wang was able to negotiate a plea to only the dangerous driving charge, despite our client’s confession on the record to being impaired by methamphetamines at the time of driving. After a contested sentencing hearing, the client received a 12-month driving prohibition and no long term criminal record.
BW Law assisted a Claimant in obtaining confirmation of an Emergency Protection Order against his ex-spouse after she destroyed his property.
Our client was charged with sexual assault in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and entered a plea of Not Guilty. On the eve of trial, the prosecutor revealed that there was missing evidence, which caused the trial to be delayed. Danielle Boisvert obtained a stay of proceedings as a result of the delay and missing evidence.
Our client was issued a Notice of Administrative Penalty (NAP) for operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol. Anny Wang requested a Review of the NAP before a SafeRoads Adjudicator. She argued that the Director’s failure to provide the calibration and maintenance data for the roadside approved screening device used in the roadside breath test by our client, as well as the Director’s failure to provide video footage referred to by the issuing police officers in their narrative, were failures to provide complete records to the Recipient as required by the Provincial Administrative Penalties Act. The Adjudicator agreed and found that Anny Wang established a ground to cancel every basis of the NAP. Our client’s driver’s licence was reinstated, their immediate roadside sanctions were lifted, and their vehicle was released (seizure costs also reimbursed)
Our client was charged with assault and assault with a weapon. A dispute arose between the client and a neighbour, during which other family members became involved. After Danielle Boisvert informed the prosecutor of the application of the defences of consensual fight and self-defence to this case, the prosecutor agreed to withdraw the criminal charges. Our client walked away with no criminal record.
Our client was charged with sexual assault and sexual interference of a young girl. Numerous defence witnesses observed our client and the complainant throughout the day of the incident and were able to account for all of their movements, disproving the allegations. Anny Wang engaged a private investigator to interview all of the defence witnesses and provided their recorded interviews to the Crown prosecutor. The matter was scheduled for a week-long trial. After the prosecutor reviewed the recorded interviews and cross-examined the defence witnesses, the prosecutor invited the court to dismiss all charges.
Our client was charged with historical allegations of sexual assault. Police issued a warrant for our client’s arrest but failed to execute the warrant for almost 9 months. Danielle Boisvert entered pleas of Not Guilty on behalf of our client and filed a Charter Notice regarding the delay of the trial beyond the R v Jordan deadlines. The prosecutor agreed that there was no justification for the police failing to take reasonable steps to locate the client to execute the warrant, and further agreed that the delay to the trial date was unreasonable. All charges were stayed.
Our client was subject to a traffic stop and issued a Notice of Administrative Penalty for operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol. Anny Wang scheduled an Immediate Roadside Sanction review. Before the SafeRoads Adjudicator, Anny Wang argued that the issuing peace officer, by providing our client’s documentation to his wife when they dropped him off at home, failed to advise our client in writing of his right to a roadside appeal and undermined his ability to exercise that right. The SafeRoads Adjudicator agreed with Anny Wang and cancelled the Notice of Administrative Penalty, restoring our client’s ability to drive.
The same client was issued a second Notice of Administrative Penalty for a separate incident several years later, again for operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol. Anny Wang argued, before the SafeRoads Adjudicator, that the Director of SafeRoads did not provide complete records to our client. Anny Wang explained to the Adjudicator that the Director failed to provide the requisite calibration and maintenance data for the approved roadside screening device used by the issuing peace officer during the impaired driving investigation and failed to meet the procedural fairness requirements by not providing existing video recordings. The SafeRoads Adjudicator agreed with Anny Wang and cancelled the Notice of Administrative Penalty, restoring our client’s ability to drive for a second time.
Our client was charged with sexual assault arising from of an encounter at a bar in a rural Alberta town. During cross-examination by Danielle Boisvert during trial, it became clear that the complainant did not remember the events of the night in question accurately, as compared to other evidence presented at trial by the prosecution. The judge found that the complainant’s evidence contained a plethora of inconsistencies and therefore unreliable. Our client was found Not Guilty at the end of the trial.
Our client, who had no criminal record and a very public facing job, was charged with theft and two counts of mischief over $5,000. Anny Wang reviewed disclosure and, after initial negotiation discussions with the Crown Prosecutor, provided them with a lengthy and detailed letter about our client’s positive impact on his community, his tragic personal circumstances, and his willingness to repay the Complainants and the community. The Prosecutor accepted our client into the Alternative Measures Program, despite the value of the damages allegedly caused by our client exceeding their usual threshold. After our client completed the program, the Prosecutor agreed to withdraw the criminal charges.