Prior to Jan. 1, 2010, the power to bifurcate a civil trial was not conferred by any statute or found under the Rules of Civil Procedure, but was based on the court’s inherent jurisdiction to control its own process, writes Shaw. The amendment then came into force, changing the rules so they included a specific provision for separate hearings, which reads: “With the consent of the parties, the court may order a separate hearing on one or more issues in a proceeding, including separate hearings on the issues of liability and damages.”
Partner, Salvatore Shaw recently spoke at The Oatley McLeish Lecture Series: Guide to Motor Vehicle Litigation this past March 26-27, 2014. He presented with a paper titled Bifurcation – When, Why and How? He recently spoke to LegalMattersCanada.ca on the topic. To read more click here.
