If you have suffered an injury because someone was acting negligent, you may be considering filing a personal injury lawsuit. First, you need to decide where and how you will be filing your case. Where you file it, and the nature of the suit will depend on a few factors including the extent of your loss. It will also depend on who you are going to sue and where the accident occurred.
Small Claims Court
First, you need to determine if your case is considered for a small claims court or a regular civil court. What is the difference?
A small claims court will accept a personal injury lawsuit if the amount you are suing for is under $15,000, depending on the state you are filing under.
A regular civil court will hear your case if the amount is over the $15,000.
Documentation
Whether you are going to represent yourself in a small claims court or you want to move on to a regular civil court, you may want to hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in St John’s to help prepare your case for court. In order to do that, you will need to obtain the proper documentation in order to list everything that has happened, how much it has costed so far, and how much it is predicted to be in the future.
Your personal injury lawyer in St John’s can even help you file your paperwork properly so the courts will recognize it and acknowledge it by setting up a court date where a judge can hear your claim and decide who would be right based on the evidence that was presented.
Once the paperwork has been filed, you need to provide a copy of the paperwork to your defendant in the case. You want to serve the defendant properly in order to prevent your case from being dismissed because they did not receive the copy, or they say that the did not receive a copy. After your paperwork is complete, and you have filed your claim, the clerk of the court can assist you in properly serving the papers to the defendant.
Your next step will be to appear in court on the date that is scheduled for you. You will want to have all your facts straight in a timeline and the documentation to back up your timeline. You want to be prepared for any questions the defendant or their lawyer may have for you. Remember, they want you to doubt your own self so they can use that to win the case. Having all the facts in front of you will help the judge determine who came prepared and who did not. If you are unsure of yourself being put on the spot during a hearing, you may want to consider hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer in Fredericton to assist you in winning your case.