How do you start a Civil claim without a lawyer in Singapore?
A Civil Claim is started by filing or submitting a formal Court document called an Originating Process. There are 2 types of originating process:
- Writ of Summons; or
- Originating Summons.
You should file a Writ of Summons for your case if there are any disputes relating to the facts. The Writ of Summons can be filed together with a Statement of Claim which is a document that states all the key facts of the case, the elements and ingredients of the causes of action you’re relying on and the compensation or corrective measure requested or intended by the person making the claim. If the Statement of Claim isn’t filed together with the Writ of Summons, it must be filed later.
If your case only relates to making a very specific and limited application to the Court, you can file an Originating Summons. Similarly, you can submit an Originating Summons if the key or only question in your case is about how to interpret the wording or content in the construction of any written law or written agreement or contractual document.
It’s more common for Civil Litigation cases to be started by a Writ of Summons.
The person who starts the claim and files a Writ of Summons is known as the Plaintiff. The other person against
whom the claim is made is known as the Defendant. There can be more than 1 Plaintiff or Defendant in any claim.
The Plaintiff should serve the Writ of Summons on the Defendant after the sealed or stamped copy of this document is returned from the Court.
During the Civil Litigation case, the parties must submit, submit and serve many documents to Court and the other parties. Filing and serving of Court documents are typically done electronically by way of the eLitigation system via the Service Bureaux at either of the following locations:
- Supreme Court (1 Supreme Court Lane, Level 1, Supreme Court Building, Singapore 178879)
- Chinatown Point (133 New Bridge Road, #19-01/02, Chinatown Point, Singapore 059413)
So there you have it, some basic information on how to start a Civil claim without a lawyer.
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