{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-northern-ireland-order-1981/article-80",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-northern-ireland-order-1981/article-80.json",
  "legislation": "nisi/1981/1675",
  "legislation_title": "The Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/magistrates-courts-northern-ireland-order-1981",
  "path": "article/80",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "80",
  "heading": "Hearing of proceedings upon civil complaint",
  "text": "(1) On the hearing of a complaint in a civil matter the court shall, if the defendant appears or is represented, state the substance of the complaint.\n(2) The court, after hearing the evidence and any such representations as may be made by or on behalf of the parties, may make any order which it has jurisdiction to make upon the complaint or may dismiss the complaint.\n(3) If the defendant or his representative on his behalf admits the truth of the complaint or consents, the court may, subject to any enactment to the contrary, make the order without hearing evidence.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1981/1675/article/80",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-05T03:43:00.143829+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}