Civil cases allow people or organisations to resolve disputes before the Court.

A civil claim may be brought where one party believes another party has caused harm, breached an agreement or acted unlawfully.

Before filing a claim

Before filing a civil claim, you must make a reasonable attempt to resolve the matter outside the Court.

This may include contacting the other party to try to reach an agreement.

Filing the claim

Civil claims are filed using the official Court filing system.

A claim should clearly explain:

• Who the claimant is
• Who the defendant is
• What the dispute is about
• What outcome the claimant is seeking

After a claim is filed

The defendant will normally have 14 days after being notified to submit a response.

If a response is submitted, the Court will schedule a hearing where both parties may present evidence and arguments.

Possible outcomes

After the hearing the Judge will decide whether the claim is valid and issue a judgement consistent with the law.

Civil cases are decided on the balance of probabilities, meaning the Judge decides what is most likely to have occurred.