scholarly journals THE EVOLUTION OF SMALL CLAIMS COURT: RISING MONETARY LIMITS AND USE OF LEGAL REPRESENTATION

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Shelley McGill
Keyword(s):  
Legal Representation ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Value Range ◽  
Small Claims ◽  
Small Claims Court

Do higher small claims court monetary limits expand access to “simplified” justice or do they erode the character of the “People’s Court”? This paper reports the initial findings of a study of claims filed in the Toronto Small Claims Court in the two years before and after Ontario raised the Court’s monetary limit from $10,000 to $25,000.  Claim values and distribution across the value range are significantly changed following the monetary limit increase while claim volume remains at pre-increase levels. Predictably, proportionate use of legal representation by plaintiffs and defendants also increases after the limit increase. Les limites pécuniaires plus élevées qui s’appliquent à la compétence de la Cour des petites créances ont-elles pour effet d’élargir l’accès à la justice « simplifiée » ou plutôt d’affaiblir le caractère populaire de cette « cour du peuple »? Ce document fait état des premiers résultats d’une étude des réclamations déposées à la Cour des petites créances de Toronto au cours des deux années qui ont précédé et suivi la date à laquelle l’Ontario a fait passer la limite pécuniaire de la compétence de la Cour de 10 000 $ à 25 000 $. Les valeurs des réclamations et leur répartition dans la fourchette de valeurs évoluent sensiblement après l’augmentation des limites pécuniaires, tandis que le volume des réclamations demeure semblable à celui qu’il était avant cette hausse. L’utilisation proportionnelle de représentants juridiques par les demandeurs et les défendeurs augmente également après l’accroissement des limites, ce qui était prévisible.

scholarly journals BUSINESS DOMINANCE IN THE “PEOPLE’S COURT”: AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF BUSINESS ACTIVITY IN THE TORONTO SMALL CLAIMS COURT

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Shelley McGill
Keyword(s):  
Subject Matter ◽  
Business Activity ◽  
Empirical Assessment ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Small Claims ◽  
Small Claims Court ◽  
Using Data

This article examines business dominance in small claims courts from four perspectives: party entity, party relationship, claim subject matter, and business plaintiff success. Using data collected from the Toronto Small Claims Court, it compares business activity before and after the monetary limit rose from CDN $10,000 to CDN $25,000. Although most claims are brought by business plaintiffs against individual defendants, business dominance did not worsen following the limit increase. In some ways, it actually receded. Individual defence rates rose, and business plaintiff success fell. In sum, capping monetary limits is not recommended to reduce business activity in small claims courts. Dans cet article, l’auteure étudie la dominance des entreprises devant les cours de petites créances sous quatre angles : celui de la personne morale, celui des rapports des parties entre elles, celui de l’objet revendiqué et celui du succès de l’entreprise demanderesse. En se servant de données provenant de la cour des petites créances de Toronto, l’auteure compare les proportions d’instances introduites par les entreprises avant et après le passage de 10 000 $ à 25 000 $ CDN de la limite pécuniaire des réclamations. Bien que la plupart des instances soient introduites par des entreprises demanderesses contre des particuliers défendeurs, la dominance des entreprises ne s’est pas accentuée après le relèvement de la limite pécuniaire des réclamations. À certains égards, cette dominance a en fait reculé. Les moyens de défense des particuliers se sont accrus et le taux de succès des entreprises demanderesses a baissé. En conséquence, il n’est pas recommandé de plafonner la limite pécuniaire des réclamations pour réduire la place que prennent les entreprises devant les cours de petites créances.

Small Claims Court in Nova Scotia: Litigants' Perceptions

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc W. Patry ◽  
Veronica Stinson ◽  
Steven M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Small Claims ◽  
Small Claims Court

scholarly journals The Small Claims Court in Canada: Some Reflections on Recent Reforms

1969 ◽  
pp. 475 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. W. Neilson
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Dispute Resolution ◽  
Competing Values ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
The Social ◽  
Small Claims ◽  
Small Claims Court

The last ten years have been an extraordinary period with respect to legislation in the area of small claims dispute resolution. The author outlines how various provinces have reformed and experimented with their small claims courts to better suit the needs of the consumer. The costs and benefits of these reforms are analyzed with the competing values of diversity and uniformity in mind, The author examines the social policy behind these issues from several perspectives, including that of the potential litigant, judge and taxpayer.

Litigant Satisfaction versus Legal Adequacy in Small Claims Court Narratives

1985 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 661 ◽  
Author(s):  
William M. O'Barr ◽  
John M. Conley
Keyword(s):  
Small Claims ◽  
Small Claims Court

17. Civil Litigation

2021 ◽  
pp. 595-639
Author(s):  
Alisdair A. Gillespie ◽  
Siobhan Weare
Keyword(s):  
Judicial Review ◽  
Family Law ◽  
Civil Litigation ◽  
Early Settlement ◽  
Small Claims ◽  
Small Claims Court ◽  
Civil Courts

This chapter considers the conduct of civil litigation. It discusses how civil litigation is more managed than criminal litigation and the courts seek to assist litigants in finding a compromise. The civil courts have extensive powers over costs and they use this to ensure compliance with their rulings and also to encourage early settlement, reducing the need for litigation. The chapter examines three types of civil litigation; cases relating to the small-claims track (‘small claims court’), judicial review and private family-law disputes.

17. Civil Litigation

2019 ◽  
pp. 585-627
Author(s):  
Alisdair A. Gillespie ◽  
Siobhan Weare
Keyword(s):  
Judicial Review ◽  
Family Law ◽  
Civil Litigation ◽  
Early Settlement ◽  
Small Claims ◽  
Small Claims Court ◽  
Civil Courts

This chapter considers the conduct of civil litigation. It discusses how civil litigation is more managed than criminal litigation and the courts seek to assist litigants in finding a compromise. The civil courts have extensive powers over costs and they use this to ensure compliance with their rulings and also to encourage early settlement, reducing the need for litigation. The chapter examines three types of civil litigation; cases relating to the small claims track (‘small claims court’), judicial review, and private family-law disputes.

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