Under Stage 1, when is the PI protocol applied?

• A. if no admission or contributory negligence
• B. if there is an admission or contributory negligence
• C. in all cases
• D. never

Answer: (A)

Stage 1 of the Personal Injury Protocol is designed for cases where liability is still in dispute. It kicks in when there has been no admission of liability and no admission of contributory negligence by the claimant. In those situations, the parties need the formal pre-action process to exchange information and narrow the issues before any proceedings.

If liability is admitted (even partially) or there is a clear contributory negligence admission, there isn’t the same need to go through Stage 1, so the process moves on to the next steps more quickly.