Is the defendant allowed to drag a claim out?
No. All parties to a claim should be working together to ensure it moves forward quickly. It should be the case that all parties view the issue of court proceedings as a last resort and that an amicable settlement being agreed without the need for court proceedings. Unfortunately, this is not always our experience in dealing with defendants. We’re obliged to give them a reasonable opportunity to settle a claim before issuing court proceedings, so even where they’re being unhelpful, we must still go through specific stages. However, where a defendant is being uncooperative, we do look to issue court proceedings as promptly as we can.
