Knowledge is power. Your time is valuable. It is important for us to provide you with access to relevant and timely answers to your questions, no matter how small they may be.
Knowledge is power. Your time is valuable. It is important for us to provide you with access to relevant and timely answers to your questions, no matter how small they may be.
Who are you suing?
How much is the claim for?
Has there been any attempt to resolve the issue outside of the courts?
What documentation do you have to support your claim?
How much will it cost?
What happens if I win a lawsuit?
HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO COMMENCE AN ACTION?
The short answer is two years… but there are exceptions. The Limitations Act, SS 2004, c. L-16.1 (the “Act”) sets out the rules that limit the amount of time one has to commence a civil action against (i.e. to sue) someone else. The standard period is two years for civil legal actions. The clock starts to run when the person bringing the claim first knew, or ought to have known, that:
The Act also imposes an ultimate limitation period that bars all actions after 15 years from the date on which the event giving rise to the claim took place. This ultimate limitation applies regardless of when you knew or ought to have known that the injury/loss had occurred.
Limitation periods exist to balance the interests of both parties. The Act prevents a person from being aware of a legal claim and not doing anything about it for several years because at that point, the person against whom the claim is brought may no longer be in a position to adequately defend the claim.
As with most things in the legal world, there are some exceptions to these rules:
I’M BEING SUED, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
If you are served with a Statement of Claim, do not ignore it. There is important information contained in that document. It will inform you of the timeline available to respond to the claim as well as the processes you must follow. Ignoring a lawsuit will not make it go away.
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