General Civil

Civil law defines relations between people. If you believe that you need to assert your rights against an individual or an enterprise, you must submit your case to a civil court.

The purpose of a civil trial is to resolve a dispute between yourself and another person or enterprise. This dispute may involve:

• Property related matters, for instance:
  • The right of way across a property
  • Financial debt
  • Sales contract for a house
  • Destruction of property
• Bodily injuries, for instance:
  • Injuries sustained as a result of a fall on the sidewalk
  • Disability resulting from a medical error
• The procedures and deadlines are not the same for family matters as for other civil suits. Matters pertaining to family law, for instance:
  • Divorce
  • Support
  • Child custody

The parties involved in the suit

In a civil suit, the plaintiff petitions the court to sanction a right he wishes to assert against another person, the defendant. These terms, plaintiff and defendant, accurately describe the roles of both parties involved in a civil suit: one person files a claim and the other presents a defense.

To sue someone, one must be directly involved in the case. For example, if your neighbor’s basement was flooded as a result of a broken water pipe, he must sue the municipality. You cannot do it for him.

The right to recourse is not eternal. The period in which you may file a claim varies from two (2) weeks to ten (10) years depending on the nature of the claim. Once this time period has expired, your right to recourse is prescribed. In other words, you may no longer exercise it.

Assert your rights before they are lost.  Contact our firm and speak with an attorney.