Difference between revisions of "Choosing the Proper Forum for Small Claims (20:IV)"

A  claimant  must  sue  all  responsible  parties  for  damages arising  from  a  single  event  in '''one''' claim; the claimant cannot split claims for damages arising out of a single event into multiple claims in an attempt to circumvent the $25,000 limit.  If, however, there are multiple events giving rise to a claim, even if closely related, they may be brought in separate actions20.  For xample, if a contractor issues an invoice for $15,000 at the end of January for work done in January  and  issues  another  invoice  for  $15,000  at  the  end of  February  for  work  done  in February and both invoices go unpaid, the contractor may sue on each invoice in a separate claim.  Rule 7.1(4) permits certain related claims to be heard together. Where a defendant has pleaded a set-off (the plaintiff owes the defendant money that should be  deducted  from  their  award),  contributory  negligence  (the  plaintiff’ s negligence  also contributed to their loss), or shared liability (there is another party who is also liable  fo the same action), the court may consider these defences against the full amount of the claimant’ s claim provided that the net judgment does not exceed $25,000.  This also applies when a set-off  forms  the  basis  for  a  standalone  counterclaim.  For  example,  if  the  claimant  proves  a $50,000  claim  and  the  defendant  establishes  a  $25,000  set-off,  the  claimant  will  have  a  net judgment of $25,000. The SCA21 permits the monetary limit to be set by regulation at any amount up to $50,000.  Claimants should confirm the current monetary limit prior to filing a claim. 2.Jurisdiction The Small Claims Court derives its authority from the  SCA, the Small Claims Rules, BC Reg 261/93 [SCR], and other acts that expressly confer jurisdiction upon the Provincial Court. The court has express jurisdiction in claims for: debt or damages; recovery of personal property; specific performance of an agreement relating to personal property or services; orrelief from opposing claims to personal property. The  court  does  not  have  jurisdiction  in  claims  for  libel,  slander,  or  malicious  prosecution unless such authority is expressly granted in limited circumstances by another statute (e.g., s-s  171(3)  of  the Business  Practices  and  Consumer  Protection  Act  allows  for  contraventions  of  this act to be heard in Provincial Court even if they involve claims for libel or slander22).The court cannot resolve disputes involving residential tenancy agreements nor can it grant remedies  created  by  statute  if  there  is  another  dispute  resolution  mechanism  prescribed  in the  statute.    For  example,  claims  for  overtime  must  be  claimed  through  the  Employment Standards Branch and not in Small Claims Court.  The court has very limited jurisdiction in residential tenancy23, employment24, human rights25, and strata property26 matters. Other  noteworthy  areas  of  law  often  falling  outside  the jurisdiction  of  the  Small  Claims Division are divorce, trusts, wills (i.e., probate), prerogative writs, and bankruptcy. However, the  court  may  have  jurisdiction  over  cases  where  these areas  of  law  are  involved  only circumstantially –  where  the  pith  and  substance  of  the  case  does  fall  within  the  court’ s jurisdiction27.    In AMEX  Bank  of  Canada  v  Golovatcheva,  the  claimant  alleged  that  the