The Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989

New claims in pending actions

73.—(1) For the purposes of this Order, any new claim made in the course of any action is to be treated as a separate action and as having been commenced—

(a) if it is a new claim made in or by way of third party proceedings, on the date on which those proceedings were commenced; and

(b) in relation to any other new claim, on the same date as the original action.

(2) Except as provided by Article 50, by rules of court, or by county court rules, neither the High Court nor any county court may allow a new claim within paragraph (1)(b), other than an original set-off or counterclaim, to be made in the course of any action after the expiry of any time limit under this Order which would affect a new action to enforce that claim. For the purposes of this paragraph, a claim is an original set-off or an original counterclaim if it is a claim made by way of set-off or (as the case may be) by way of counterclaim by a party who has not previously made any claim in the action.

(3) Rules of court and county court rules may provide for allowing a new claim to which paragraph (2) applies to be made as there mentioned, but only if the conditions specified in paragraph (4) are satisfied, and subject to any further restrictions the rules may impose.

(4) The conditions referred to in paragraph (3) are the following—

(a) as respects a claim involving a new cause of action, if the new cause of action arises out of the same facts or substantially the same facts as are already in issue on any claim previously made in the original action; and

(b) as respects a claim involving a new party, if the addition or substitution of the new party is necessary for the determination of the original action.

(5) The addition or substitution of a new party is not to be treated for the purposes of paragraph (4)(b) as necessary for the determination of the original action unless either—

(a) the new party is substituted for a party whose name was given in any claim made in the original action in mistake for the new party’s name; or

(b) any claim already made in the original action cannot be maintained by or against an existing party unless the new party is joined or substituted as plaintiff or defendant in that action.

(6) Subject to paragraph (3), rules of court and county court rules may provide for allowing a party to any action to claim relief in a new capacity in respect of a new cause of action notwithstanding that he had no title to make that claim at the date of the commencement of the action. This paragraph does not prejudice the power of rules of court to provide for allowing a party to claim relief in a new capacity without adding or substituting a new cause of action.

(7) Paragraphs (2) to (6) apply in relation to a new claim made in the course of third party proceedings as if those proceedings were the original action, and subject to such other modifications as may be prescribed by rules of court or county court rules.

(8) In this Article—

“new claim” means any claim by way of set-off or counterclaim, and any claim involving either—

(a)

the addition or substitution of a new cause of action; or

(b)

the addition or substitution of a new party;

“third party proceedings” means any proceedings brought in the course of any action by any party to the action against a person not previously a party to the action, other than proceedings brought by joining any such person as defendant to any claim already made in the original action by the party bringing the proceedings.