Nathaniel J. Hartney

Nathaniel graduated from the University of Saskatchewan Law School in 2009 and was called to the BC bar in 2010.  He has a varied litigation background, with extensive past experience trying major criminal cases, as well as past experience acting on ICBC's behalf in motor vehicle accident related matters.  He is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia and the Law Society of Saskatchewan.

Prior to joining Preszler Injury Lawyers, Nathaniel spent several years working for a well-respected ICBC insurance defence firm. Since joining Preszler Law in 2018 he has pursued a plaintiff-only practice in which he is passionate about representing people, not corporations. A true trial lawyer, Nathaniel loves being in court. He believes that intense trial preparation on every case is the key to a successful outcome, either by way of settlement or trial.

Nathaniel's trial and appellate experience includes:

• Matwijec v. Goodridge, 2024 BCSC 2030, a very complex and difficult personal injury matter where the trial judge rejected the defence arguments in respect of failure to mitigate, causation, and rejected the opinions of the defence expert witnesses, and ultimately awarded the 54 year old labourer plaintiff $1,004,685.25 in damages.


• Wagner v. Cooper, 2024 BCSC 986, a complicated personal injury matter where the trial judge awarded $367,000 and held that the WCB benefits the plaintiff had been receiving were not deductible from his income loss claim.


• Heffernan v. Chahal, 2024 BCSC 769, a difficult liability-only trial where the defendant was found to be 90% liable for the collision.


• Stroup v. Klaassen, 2023 BCSC 1944, a very complicated personal injury matter where psychological injuries were being claimed on behalf of two parents whose daughter was killed in a motor vehicle collision.


• Augusta-Mansfield v. Yun, 2023 BCSC 1683, a personal injury matter involving a client who worked as a roofer and suffered neck and back pain as a result of a car accident and was awarded $397,000.


• Bates v. Buchanan, 2023 BCSC 687, a difficult liability trial where the plaintiff was successful in establishing liability against the defendant and was awarded over $160,000.


• Lacey v. Petrovic, 2023 BCSC 509, a personal injury matter involving “Knee Plica Syndrome” where the plaintiff was awarded $90,000 in non-pecuniary damages.


• Prasad v. Ross-Smith, 2023 BCSC 513, a personally injury matter where the plaintiff was awarded $95,000 in non-pecuniary damages for “relatively mild, non-disabling chronic pain”.


• D.J.W. v. Biswal, 2023 BCSC 148, a very complex personally injury trial where the trial judge awarded $970,000 in damages to the plaintiff.


• Pruett v. Robert, 2023 BCSC 49, a difficult liability trial where Nathaniel obtained a judgment for $324,000


• Hann v. Lunn, 2022 BCSC 1839, a trial where the plaintiff suffered no past income loss but the court awarded damages totaling $443,000


• Gray v. Lanz, 2022 BCSC 2218, Nathaniel obtained a judgment for $1,070,000 in a difficult case involving a disputed concussion with conflicting medical experts.


• McNabb v. Rogerson, 2022 BCSC 1514, Nathaniel obtained a judgment for over $730,000 in a case involving a young woman with a limited working history, including $450,000 in damages for loss of future earning capacity, in circumstances where ICBC unsuccessfully argued that the plaintiff's injuries were not as serious as she claimed;


• Naseem v. Dhami, 2022 BCSC 602, Nathaniel was victorious as lead counsel in a difficult motor vehicle accident trial where the judge awarded $275,000, including the cost of sauna sessions as they gave the client pain relief;


• Bhumrah v. McLeary, 2021 BCSC 560, Nathaniel represented a client who was "80-90% improved" at the time of trial and was still awarded over $200,000 in damages.


• Besteman v. Landriault, 2021 BCSC (unreported), Nathaniel represented a client who was injured in a collision while making a left hand turn on a yellow light.  The court found the other driver 100% at fault, despite the other driver having two expert engineering reports reconstructing the collision.


• Brownmiller v. Thomas, 2021 BCSC 290, Nathaniel acted as lead counsel and obtained a judgment for $217,000.  The trial judge also commented that "plaintiff's counsel should also be commended for the best-organized materials this judge has seen to date on this court."


• Bhumrah v. McLeary, 2021 BCSC 285, Nathaniel acted as lead counsel and obtained a judgment for $160,000, with the judge awarding earning capacity based on a 5% impairment;


• Ayala v. City of Kelowna, 2020 CanLII 60083 (BC WCAT), Nathaniel acted as counsel for a worker who broke her wrist as a result of a negligently maintained sidewalk.  He successfully opposed the defendant's application to have the lawsuit dismissed by virtue of the Workers Compensation Act, allowing his client to be fairly compensated for her injuries;


• MacAlpine v. Funk, 2020 BCSC 1225, Nathaniel acted as lead counsel for a client who disputed his former law firm's legal bill, and had the bill successfully reduced from $87,500 to $22,750, with the client additionally being awarded costs of the proceeding;


• Duffy v. Dutt, 2020 BCSC 995, a soft tissue damage case where $20,000 was awarded for future massage treatment, and $55,000 for pain and suffering;


• Dale v. Vickers, 2019 BCSC 821, a difficult and complex motor vehicle accident case where the plaintiff was awarded an nearly $200,000 despite having ongoing injuries from a prior motor vehicle accident;


• Roberts v. Morgan, 2019 BCSC, a difficult wrongful death jury trial where Nathaniel acted as lead counsel and obtained a verdict for over $300,000;


• Janda v. Mackenzie, 2018 BCSC 168, a complex motor vehicle accident case involving the testimony of numerous Orthopaedic Experts;


• Parker v. Martin, 2017 BCSC 1161, a motor vehicle accident case involving the testimony of an expert Cardiologist on the effect of an intervening heart attack on the loss of earning capacity claim;


• Willow Beach Developments Ltd. v. Silverstone, 2017 BCSC 2562, a complex Summary Trial involving damages for trespass, a court ordered final injunction, and an order for vacant possession of land.


• Lui v. Transportation Investment Corporation, 2016 BCSC 827, a proposed class action brought against the operators of the Port Mann Bridge regarding late payment fees and the charging of criminal interest;


• R. v. Nguyen et al., 2014 BCPC 95, infamous "Vietnam Travel" money laundering case where full acquittals were obtained in one of the biggest money laundering cases in BC history.


• R. v. Magalong, 2013 BCCA 478, a leading case from the B.C. Court of Appeal on language rights for detainees in police custody;


• R. v. Morley, 2013 BCSC 463, a highly complex customs case involving alleged violations of the Federal Customs Act;


• R. v. To, 2012 BCPC 49; one of the few reported cases involving a stay of proceedings for Marijuana Cultivation based on unreasonable delay;


• Other complex criminal cases, including jury acquittals as lead counsel; and


• Other motor vehicle accident cases.

In total, he has conducted over 125 trials as lead counsel, including jury and non-jury cases.

Nathaniel was also awarded the 2014 Dugald Christie Award by Access Pro Bono BC in recognition of his commitment to providing pro bono legal services to those in need of legal advice.

Outside of the office, Nathaniel enjoys playing Adult Safe Hockey, riding his motorcycle, and spending time with his wife and two young children.