What is Small Claims Court?
Small Claims Court is a legal body meant to solve disputes for small amount of money.
The amount claimed is generally less than $3000, although it can vary. The one who files
the claim is called the plaintiff and the other person is called the defendant.
The procedures of the Small Claims Court are quite informal. The parties involved in the
dispute, represent themselves in the court hearing. Each party puts forth its own side of
the story. Lawyers or advocates are not allowed, although some of the small claims courts
allow them. There is a judge who finally resolves the matter without the help of any
lawyer. Such courts do charge a small amount of money as the fee to file a claim. Later,
there can be some other charges like payment to the witnesses and likewise. But still
small claims courts are less expensive than the rest because hiring lawyers is not
mandatory.
Small Claims Court deals with different kinds of cases. Examples include collection of
money owed, damage caused in car accidents, any property damage, any landlord/tenant
rent deposit dispute, compensation for poor goods and services provided.
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