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Small claims court is the division of your state's lowest court that has jurisdiction over cases involving a small amount of money--usually less than $1,500. A judge will preside over a case, acting as both judge and jury to resolve civil disputes of all types, ranging from contract disputes to allegations of property damage. Before... more »
Small claims court exists as a forum for individuals to resolve their civil disputes in front of a judge without having to spend a lot of money on attorney fees, take too much time off to appear in a courtroom or wait for a jury to render a decision. more »
If you've been wronged by somebody and want justice, you might be able to take that person to small claims court. The purpose of small claims court is to provide informal and inexpensive access to the legal system in cases where the time and expense of other legal channels would preclude a formal action. Small claims courts can't hear... more »
Small claims court is designed to provide low cost access to the justice system for plaintiffs with limited complaints. The small claims process is essentially a streamlined version of a normal civil action. One major difference is that attorneys are usually not allowed to represent the parties to a small claim (though it is... more »
Small claims court is a relatively informal judicial setting where individuals and small businesses can find justice. The size and scope of small claims is usually limited, but the caps vary widely by state. Lawyers are usually not permitted in the small claims courtroom, and the judge is the sole arbiter of the outcome, all of which... more »
If you have a case where only a small amount of money is at stake or you are seeking the recovery of property worth only a small amount, then you... more »
Small claims court provides a way for people to resolve disputes through outside intervention of the law without investing a sizeable amount of... more »
Are you having problems collecting on a debt and now you have no choice but to sue? Do you know how much to sue for or how much you will be... more »
Nearly every state court has a small claims court, although not every jurisdiction calls its small claims court “small claims court.” Small claims... more »
Small claims court is also known as “The People’s Court” and that is because the parties aren’t required to have legal counsel; they can represent... more »
Small-claims courts have limited jurisdiction to hear civil cases between private litigants. Courts authorized to try small claims may also have other judicial functions, and the name by which such a court is known varies by jurisdiction: it may be known by such names as county court or magistrates court. Small claims courts can be found in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Hong Kong and the United States.
Purpose and operation
The business of small-claims courts typically encompasses small private disputes in which large amounts of money are not at stake, usually a maximum of $5,000 in most U.S. states. The routine collection of small debts forms a large portion of the cases brought to small-claims courts, as well as evictions and other disputes between landlords and tenants, unless the jurisdiction is already covered by a tenancy board.
Typically, a small-claims court will have a maximum monetary limit to the amount of judgments it can award; these limits vary. Upper limits are set in the thousands of dollars/pounds. By suing in a small-claims court, the plaintiff typically waives any right to claim more than the court can award. The plaintiff may or may not be allowed to reduce a claim to fit the requirements of this venue. In some states, Texas for example, the concept of "court shopping" is strictly forbidden. Court shopping involves a plaintiff who seeks to reduce the amount of damages claimed in order to fit a trial into a court that would otherwise not have jurisdiction. For example, if a plaintiff asserts damages of $15,000 in hopes of winning an award of $10,000 in small-claims court, the court will dismiss the case (without prejudice) because the court does not have jurisdiction to hear cases in which the asserted damages exceed the courts maximum amount. Thus, even if the plaintiff is willing to accept less than the full amount, the case cannot be brought to small-claims court. To bring the case read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small+claims+court
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