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Commercial Litigation Lawsuits: Do NOT Represent Yourself
Mr. Bergman attempted to give evidence about a number of different issues. The plaintiffs objected on the basis that there was no affidavit evidence filed and they had no notice of the evidence that Mr. Bergman was giving. I advised Mr. Bergman a number of times that it was not fair and not in accordance with proper procedure for him to simply “tell his story” without putting before the Court sworn evidence which was served on the plaintiffs. I note that a self-represented litigant should be given some leeway but they must still comply with the Supreme Court Civil Rules, B.C. Reg. 168/2009 [Rules]. As our Court of Appeal has noted, “self-represented litigants do not have ‘some kind of special status’ that allows them to ignore rules of procedure”: 0927613 B.C. Ltd. v. 0941187 B.C. Ltd., 2015 BCCA 457 at para. 64. The Statement of Principles on Self-Represented Litigants and Accused Persons, (Ottawa: Canadian Judicial Council, 2006) “imposes an obligation on self-represented parties to be respectful and familiarize themselves with the relevant practices and procedures of the court process”: 0927613 B.C. Ltd. at para. 65