Why did I lose?

[ytrottier]

A contractor sued me for payment in small claims court in Nova Scotia and won, and I am absolutely baffled as to how and why. I had a stack of evidence, an expert witness, a judicial precedent, a much more eloquent presentation, a better understanding of the law, and more respect for the judge and the process. All that the plaintiff had was his bill, which the judge did not accept because of lack of detail and supporting evidence. And of course I felt we were right and had a bulletproof argument. (We were better looking, too. )

But the judge apparently saw no reason to trust our side any more than the other, and split the difference between our claims. And I'm left feeling betrayed and wondering what happened? Is this normal in small claims court? For the sake of my mental health, I need to understand where I failed. I could post my written defense and the ruling, but my posting rules say I may not post attachments. Is there a way to change that?

 

[Zigner]

A contractor sued me for payment in small claims court in Nova Scotia and won, and I am absolutely baffled as to how and why. I had a stack of evidence, an expert witness, a judicial precedent, a much more eloquent presentation, a better understanding of the law, and more respect for the judge and the process. All that the plaintiff had was his bill, which the judge did not accept because of lack of detail and supporting evidence. And of course I felt we were right and had a bulletproof argument. (We were better looking, too. )

But the judge apparently saw no reason to trust our side any more than the other, and split the difference between our claims. And I'm left feeling betrayed and wondering what happened? Is this normal in small claims court? For the sake of my mental health, I need to understand where I failed. I could post my written defense and the ruling, but my posting rules say I may not post attachments. Is there a way to change that?

This site is for US law only.

 

[ytrottier]

Does it say that somewhere, that this is US only? When I registered, it said to use zip code 00000 if I was outside the US. And in any case, I imagine the relevant law is not all that different in Canada than in the US.

 

[Antigone*]

Does it say that somewhere, that this is US only? When I registered, it said to use zip code 00000 if I was outside the US. And in any case, I imagine the relevant law is not all that different in Canada than in the US.

You deleted it.

 

[Zigner]

Does it say that somewhere, that this is US only? When I registered, it said to use zip code 00000 if I was outside the US. And in any case, I imagine the relevant law is not all that different in Canada than in the US.

You have a vivid imagination.

Just because I am in a good mood, here's a link to a Canadian law forum: http://www.legalline.ca/

This is in no way an endorsement - I'm simply saving you some time on Google.

 

[ytrottier]

Fine. I'm sorry for being Canadian. Could you, for the sake of argument, imagine that this took place in New York? I don't think that I lost just because of the jurisdiction I was in.

 

[tranquility]

You "failed" by caring too much. You had a dispute. A neutral party decided it. Move on.

I mean, move on, eh.

 

[Antigone*]

Fine. I'm sorry for being Canadian. Could you, for the sake of argument, imagine that this took place in New York? I don't think that I lost just because of the jurisdiction I was in.

Zigner gave you an excellent resouce. Why don't you use it?

 

[ytrottier]

Thank you for the link to Legal Line. I was aware of that site and looked there first. But as far as I can tell, that site does not have a forum where I can ask questions. I don't seem to have a Canadian resource to turn to, so I am hoping for some charitable patience from an American. (Or perhaps there might also be some Canadians offering help on this forum?)

 

[tranquility]

There are some involved with employment law near the border, was your dispute along those lines?