Civil proceedings

The field of civil law deals with relations between individual parties. If you want to assert or defend your rights against another person or company, you must go through the civil courts.

The goal of a civil proceeding is to settle a dispute between you and another person or company. 

For example, you may be involved in a dispute concerning:

• property, such as: 
  • a right of way over a piece of land;
  • boundary markers;
  • views.

• a contract, such as:
  • a monetary debt;
  • a contract for the sale of a house;
  • the destruction of property.

• bodily injury, such as:
  • an injury arising from a fall onto a sidewalk;
  • a disability resulting from a medical error.

• family law, such as: 
  • divorce; 
  • support payments; 
  • child custody. 

Important

In family law cases, the procedures and time limits are not the same as in other civil cases.