During your case
After you have filed and served your statement of claim, the defendant will need to decide how to respond. The next steps in your case will depend on how the defendant responds.
The defendant's response
If the defendant pays your claim in full, or you reach an agreement with them to settle the case, you will not need to attend court. However, you will still need to take some steps to end the court case.
If the defendant disagrees with your claim, they have a number of options. They might ask you for more information or file a defence form to your claim. They could even ignore your claim.
For more information, see The defendant's response.
Default judgment
If the defendant does not file a defence form within 28 days of being served with the statement of claim, you can apply for default judgment. For more information, see Default judgment.
Pre-trial review
If the defendant files a defence, the court will send you a notice for a pre-trial review.
The pre-trial review is the first time that you and the defendant will go into a courtroom.
For more information, see Pre-trial review.
The hearing
After the pre-trial review, your case will be listed for a hearing. At the hearing you will be given the chance to present your case to the court.
For more information, see The hearing.
The decision
After considering all the evidence from both you and the defendant at the hearing, the magistrate or assessor will make a decision about your claim.
For more information, see The decision.