Difference between revisions of "Small Claims Applications and Procedures Pre-Trial (20:IX)"

A  party  may  withdraw a claim, counterclaim,  reply,  or  third  party  notice  at  any  time164.  To  do  so,  a party  must  file  a  notice  of  withdrawal165  at  the  registry  and  then  promptly  serve  the  notice of withdrawal on all parties who had been previously served with the claim, counterclaim, reply, or third party notice166. A Notice of Withdrawal may be served by ordinary mail or personal service167. Once a pleading is withdrawn, it cannot be reinstated, used, or relied upon without the permission of a judge168. Withdrawing  a  claim  does not  result  in  the  dismissal  of  a  counterclaim.  The  counterclaim  may  still proceed, unless it is also withdrawn169. C.A djournments and Cancellations Once  a  date  for  a  hearing,  settlement  conference,  or  trial  has  been  set,  any  party  can  apply  for  an adjournment or to cancel the hearing170. If seeking an adjournment, try to first obtain the consent of the opposing party prior to applying to a judge. If consent is given, Form 17 must be filed in the registry as soon as possible. A trial will only be adjourned if a judge is satisfied that it is unavoidable and if an injustice will result to  one  of  the  parties  if  the  trial  proceeds171.  There  is  a  $100  fee172  for  adjournments  where  the application is made less than 30 days before a trial and notice of the trial was sent 45 days before the trial’ s date173.  The  fee  must  be  paid  within  14  days  of  the  granting  of  the  adjournment174  or  else  a judge may dismiss the claim, strike out the reply, or make any order he or she deems fair175. D.Pre-Judgment Garnishment If the claim is for debt, a “garnishing order before judgment” may be issued at the same time a Notice of Claim is filed. Except for wages and interest, almost any debt can be garnished before a judgment. Since  injustice  can  sometimes  occur  from  the  procedure,  few  garnishing  orders  are  issued  before judgment.  Practically,  the  court  will  grant  a  garnishing  order  before  judgment  in  only  certain circumstances, for instance where the claimants will be unable to collect if they succeed176. To obtain a pre-judgment garnishing order, the claimant must file an affidavit stating that a Notice of Claim has been filed, the date of its filing, the nature of the cause of action, the amount of  the debt, claim, or demand, and the true amount owing after discounts and deductions177. If the registry grants the order, the claimant must serve both the garnishee and the defendant178. If the garnishee is a bank, the garnishing order must be served on the branch where the account is located179. If the garnishee is a credit union, the order must be served on its head office.  A separate order must be  obtained  for  each  garnishee.  The  Garnishee  must  pay  the  greater  of  the  amount  owed  to  a Defendant  and  the  amount  shown  on  the  garnishing  order  to the  Court  Registry.  It  is  extremely important  to  find  out  the  correct  legal  name  of  the  Garnishee.  This is  because if  you  use  the  wrong name on the Garnishment documents, the Garnishee can refuse to pay to the Court money owed to the Defendant. If the Garnishee is a company, a search at the BCCorporate Registry Office would be useful.