SMALL CLAIMS COURT

Small Claims Court  Sometimes referred to as “the people’s court”  Informal and inexpensive way for settling disputes  Claims of $25,000 or less (in Ontario)  Parties are not expected to know legal terms  Each side of the party gets a chance to tell their story to a judge  Lawyers are usually only used for complex matters

Small Claims Court in Ontario  All provinces and territories have booklets with step-by-step procedures for filing a claim  In Ontario ourts/scc/ ourts/scc/

Types of Small Claims Actions  Breach of contract  Claims for minor accidents  Damage to property  Recovery of property  Unpaid bills  Unpaid loans  Unpaid rent  Unpaid wages

 Class action is when all injured parties sue together as plaintiffs in one action  If more than one person is responsible for causing the loss, they all should be sued as defendants  Litigation is the process of suing  Litigants are the parties involved (plaintiff & defendant)

Balance of probabilities  Plaintiff must try to convince a judge that the events most likely took place in the way they claim (unlike in a criminal trial – beyond a reasonable doubt)  Defendant will try to show that his or her version is what really happened  Judge will decided whose side is more believable and more likely to have happened

  /article /Big-headaches-after- small-claims-court- decision/1?newsletterid=192&date= /article /Big-headaches-after- small-claims-court- decision/1?newsletterid=192&date=  Small Claims Court - Kitchener Small Claims Court - Kitchener  Small Claims Court video