Statement of claim
Writing a Statement of Claim
What is a Statement of Claim?
A Statement of Claim is a document that provides further details of what the applicant (you) says the issues are, and what laws they say the employer broke. It is sometimes called 'Points of claim'.
Will I have to use a Statement of Claim in my case?
Whether you will have to prepare a Statement of Claim will depend on any orders made by the judge at a directions hearing. The judge may make an order that you file and serve a Statement of Claim at the first directions hearing, or at a further directions hearing. They may order that you file 'Points of claim' instead, but they are basically the same thing, although Points of claim can be less formal.
Before preparing, filing or serving your Statement of Claim, you should get
legal advice.
Where can I get a blank Statement of Claim?
The Federal Circuit Court does not have a set form for a Statement of Claim. However, where the Federal Circuit Court doesn't have a specific form you can use the Federal Court form and amend it to include the Federal Circuit Court details.
You can get a blank Statement of Claim from the:
What's in a Statement of Claim?
A Statement of Claim (or Points of claim) should set out what your claim is against your employer. You should use numbered paragraphs which state each of the important points of your case. These are called 'pleadings'. Some pleadings may need 'particulars', which are the facts that support the pleadings.
If you don't know what to put in a Statement of Claim, you should get
legal advice.
To see what a completed Statement of Claim could look like, see
Sample Statement of Claim.
At the bottom of the first page of the Statement of Claim there should be a box with the details of:
- the party the Statement of Claim was filed by
- who prepared it
- details of that party's lawyer (if they have one).
You will need to fill out this box.
What do I do when I've completed my Statement of Claim?
You will need to file your Statement of Claim and serve a copy on the Respondent (the employer). Make sure you file and serve it by the time ordered by the judge at the directions hearing.
What happens next? The Defence
If the court orders you to file a Statement of Claim (or Points of claim), it will also order that your employer file and serve a Defence (or Points of defence) by a certain date.
A Defence is a document that responds to your Statement of Claim. Generally a Defence will respond to each separate paragraph (pleading) in your Statement of Claim. If a Defence 'admits' a paragraph of the Statement of Claim, this means that the employer agrees with that paragraph. If a Defence 'denies' a paragraph, this means that the employer does not agree with that paragraph.
To see what a Defence could look like, see
Sample Defence.
If you've been served with a Defence, you should get
legal advice about the issues raised by the respondent.