Compliance and relief from sanctions

The court has wide powers to manage cases so as to achieve its aim of ensuring that cases are dealt with justly and at proportionate cost in accordance with the overriding objective in CPR 1.1. During the course of the litigation, there will be steps that need to be taken by the parties such as filing and serving witness statements or providing disclosure, etc. There will be deadlines for when these steps are to be completed, which are generally set out in the CPR although the court will have the discretion to set a different deadline in the court order it makes. There may also be specific deadlines that are set out in the relevant court guide for the court in which the claim is proceeding. A failure to comply with these deadlines could result in sanctions being applied against the defaulting party such as a party's claim or defence being struck out as well as potential costs consequences. If a party is unable to comply with a deadline set out in the CPR or a court order, they should seek an extension of the time

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