Showing posts with label default judgment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label default judgment. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Failure to Defend Action Can Result in Default Judgment Against You - Ottawa Accident Lawyer - www.pqtlaw.com

Once a court action has been commenced, the Rules of Civil Procedure apply. Those Rules provide strict time-lines by which certain steps in the court action must be completed. For example, once served with a statement of claim (originating document that commences a court action), you have 20 days to file and serve a statement of defence. If you fail to do so, the Plaintiff can obtain a noting in default by filing a simple form in Court and then proceed to obtain Default Judgment. That Default Judgment can be set aside but there is a legal test to meet and in most and not all cases, a Justice will set aside the Default Judgment. The cost of bringing a motion seeking to set aside the Default Judgment can range from $2,500 to $15,000, depending on the complexity of the matter. The lesson learned is - once served, retain a lawyer right away to ensure that the necessary time-lines are met. Marc-Nicholas Quinn - Ottawa Injury Lawyer - 613-563-1131.