County Court
by Rachel farrant
1. District Judges hear interim matters and trials up to £25k
1.1. appeals from decisions of District Judges will be heard by a Circuit Judge
1.1.1. An appeal of this decision is heard by the Court of Appeal
2. A case can be started in any County Court and transferred to defendant's local County Court if desired.
2.1. Automatically transferred if it is for a fixed sum and owed by an individual
3. Same rules of evidence apply as in High Court
4. Deals just with civil cases
4.1. a civil claim in tort and contract is normally for damages
4.1.1. contract claim will usually be for a specific sum
4.1.2. other claims, the damages my have to be assessed. Where claimant has suffered physical discomfort, the claim is for an unspecified sum
5. Presided over by Circuit Judges or Recorders (part time judges)
5.1. Appeals from decisions of Circuit Judges are heard by High Court Judge
6. Court claim allocations
6.1. MUSTbe commenced in a County Court if:
6.1.1. less than £50k; and
6.1.2. a personal injury case; and
6.1.3. caused by negligence
6.2. MUST be commenced in a County Court if:
6.2.1. less than £100k; and
6.2.2. contract or tort claim
6.3. CAN be started in a High Court OR County Court if:
6.3.1. more than £100k; and
6.3.2. Contract or tort claim
6.4. Has jurisdiction of High Court to hear and determine a case if:
6.4.1. Les than £350k; and
6.4.2. is one of a list of specific cases