The AI workspace for legal professionals
Try it free for 14 days (10 questions/day during trial)
05 CG.2007.86•Security for costs requires instruction of unrepresented plaintiff
05 CG.2007.86Li Supreme CourtJun 14, 2007
Extracted by Omnilex
The decision concerns security for costs in civil proceedings. It holds that a court has a special duty to assist and instruct a legally inexperienced party who is not represented by a lawyer. When security for costs is requested, the requesting party must credibly establish the circumstances relevant to the kind and amount of security, and the opposing party must be allowed to contest the cost forecast. A security order and a declaration that the claim is withdrawn may not be issued against an unrepresented plaintiff unless the court has first indicated that objections to the amount of the security can be raised.
Security for costs; judicial duty to instruct unrepresented party; burden of substantiation for type and amount of security. Against a legally inexperienced, unrepresented party, the court owes a heightened duty of guidance and notification (consid. 1a). The party requesting security must render credible the circumstances determining the nature and amount of the security; the anticipated evidentiary needs and litigation costs are to be assessed also from the perspective of the security-bound party, which must be allowed to contest the opponent’s cost prognosis (consid. 1b). Without prior instruction that objections to the amount of the demanded security may be raised, a security order and a declaration of withdrawal of the action are impermissible (consid. 1c).
05 CG.2007.86
Gegenüber einer rechtsunkundigen, nicht durch einen RA vertretenen Partei besteht eine besondere Anleitungs- und Belehrungspflicht des Gerichts. Die Grenze richterlicher Anleitung wird nicht überschritten, wenn der Richter auf mögliche prozessuale Einwände hinweist und allenfalls deren Formulierung für die nicht anwaltlich vertretene Partei übernimmt.
Die eine Sicherheitsleistung beantragende Partei hat die für die Art und Höhe der Sicherheitsleistung massgeblichen Umstände glaubhaft zu machen. Dabei ist die Frage, welche Beweismittel zur Klarstellung des strittigen Sachverhalts wahrscheinlich notwendig sein werden, auch aus der Sicht der Streitteile, sohin auch aus der Sicht der kautionspflichtigen Partei zu beurteilen. Dieser muss die Möglichkeit eingeräumt werden, der Prozesskostenprognose des Verfahrensgegners entgegen zu treten.Von einer rechtsunkundigen Partei kann nicht erwartet werden, dass sie das Ausmass der für ein Verfahren voraussichtlich anlaufenden Prozesskosten einzuschätzen vermag.
Ohne richterliche Anleitung des rechtsunkundigen, nicht anwaltlich vertretenen Klägers, dass Einwände gegen die Höhe der verlangten Kaution geltend gemacht werden können, darf ein Kautionsbeschluss nicht gefasst und die Zurücknahme der Klage nicht ausgesprochen werden.
Extracted by Omnilex
Whether a court owes a special duty to instruct an unrepresented, legally inexperienced party on procedural objections.
Yes. The court must give special guidance and notice to a legally inexperienced party not represented by counsel.
The duty is not exceeded when the judge points to possible procedural objections and, if necessary, formulates them for the unrepresented party.
What a party requesting security for costs must show regarding the nature and amount of the security.
The requesting party must make credible the circumstances relevant to the type and amount of the security.
The necessary evidence must be assessed from the perspective of both parties, including the party obliged to provide security, and that party must be allowed to challenge the opponent’s cost prognosis.
Whether a security-for-costs order and declaration of claim withdrawal may be made without instructing an unrepresented plaintiff that objections to the amount can be raised.
No. Without such judicial instruction, the court may not issue the security-for-costs order or declare the claim withdrawn.
A legally inexperienced plaintiff cannot be expected to assess the likely litigation costs; therefore he must be told that objections to the amount of the security are possible.
Connect Omnilex to search the legal corpus from your AI assistant.