General Litigation Services
Because the Ontario Small Claims Court is a open civil court just about every type of civil lawsuit that one can think of can be heard provided the following three conditions are met:
[1] The lawsuit is for $25,000 or less (or at least reduced to this amount);
[2] The lawsuit does not seek some type of declaratory or injunctive relief (certain exceptions apply);
[3] The lawsuit does not involve a legal issue that another adjudicative body has exclusive jurisdiction over (e.g.the Landlord Tenant Board has exclusive jurisdiction when a residing tenant is involved [emphasis added]).
Below are the primary areas of practice that our general litigation paralegals handle. If you do not see your type of dispute listed give us a call as it may actually be an issue we can help you with and if it is not then we may be able to refer you to someone who can.
House and Home
Some of the most common types of Small Claims Court lawsuits under this category are:
[1] Renovation projects gone bad.
[2] Landlord and tenant disputes.
[3] Real estate transactions completed and not.
Goods and Services
Some of the most common types of Small Claims Court lawsuits under this category are:
[1] Consumer Protection Act rights and remedies.
[2] Sale of Goods Act or other statutes.
[3] Misrepresentations and breach of contract.
Work and Wages
Some of the most common types of Small Claims Court lawsuits under this category are:
[1] Employment Standards Act rights and remedies.
[2] Common law termination rights and remedies.
[3] Unpaid wages and commissions.
Commercial Transactions
Some of the most common types of Small Claims Court lawsuits under this category are:
[1] Commercial Tenancies Act rights and remedies.
[2] Franchise disputes under the Arthur Wishart Act.
[3] Purchase and sales agreements for businesses.
Car Sales and Repairs
Some of the most common types of Small Claims Court lawsuits under this category are:
[1] Misrepresentations and breach of contract.
[2] Amounts owing under a lease.
[3] Forfeiture of deposits.
Trucking and Transport
Some of the most common types of Small Claims Court lawsuits under this category are:
[1] Unpaid freight charges.
[2] Damage to goods during carriage.
[3] Driver pay, commissions and holdbacks.
