Causes of Action (20:App G): Difference between revisions

The cause of action is the claimant’s reason for bringing a suit against the defendant. While there must always be a cause of action, in Small  Claims it is generally sufficient to cite the facts; Small Claims judges and CRT tribunal members will take a liberal view of pleadings and allow litigants to assert claims in non-legalistic language. However, the judge must still be able to find a cause of action in the facts the claimant alleges. Potential claimants should therefore review the following, non-exhaustive list of causes of action to determine if they have a valid claim. Claimants may claim for more than one cause of action on a notice of claim and are advised to do so if they believe more than one cause of action applies or are not sure which one is valid; it is easier to name superfluous causes of action on the notice of claim than to get the claim amended after filing it. The following causes of action may be brought in Small Claims unless the amount claimed is over $35,000 or it states otherwise in the list. They are organized into 3 categories: (1) common; (2) rare; and (3) see a lawyer.