Procedures
ECSC Civil Procedure Rules 2000 across both islands
Civil claims follow the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Civil Procedure Rules 2000, with a claim form and statement of claim, 14 days to acknowledge service and 28 days to file a defence. The High Court sits in both Basseterre and Charlestown, and appeals go to the itinerant ECSC Court of Appeal and then to the Privy Council. The Public Authorities Protection Act limits claims against public bodies to one year.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — ECSC High Court sitting in Basseterre and Charlestown; Privy Council final
- Deadline — Acknowledgment of service: 14 days from service
- Deadline — Defence: 28 days from service of the claim form
- Deadline — Appeal to the Court of Appeal: 42 days final, 21 days interlocutory
- Deadline — Claim against a public authority: within one year of the act
Governing law
- Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Civil Procedure Rules 2000
- Limitation Act
- Public Authorities Protection Act
- Arbitration Act
In practice
Although procedure is uniform across the federation, the correct defendant often is not: proceedings concerning a Nevis matter may need to name the Nevis Island Administration rather than the federal Attorney General, and getting this wrong can be fatal given the one-year limit for public authority claims. Nevis is also a significant offshore litigation venue because of its asset protection trust and LLC legislation.