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What is Small Claims Court?

In Arizona, every justice of the peace court has a small claims division that provides an inexpensive and speedy way of resolving disputes that don't exceed $2,500. Court procedures are informal and simple enough for a person to file a complaint or to answer a claim without a lawyer. More

Filing a Small Claims Suit

If you decide to pursue a lawsuit, the first step in filing a small claims action is obtaining and filling out the necessary forms. You should file your claim in the justice court in which the defendant resides or operates a business, or where the act giving rise to the claim took place. More

Small Claims Trials

After the complaint has been filed and the defendant served, both sides need to prepare their case for court. Both the plaintiff and defendant should bring all witnesses and necessary papers to court. The trial will be scheduled within 60 days from the date the defendant files an answer. More

Witnesses at a Small Claims Trial

Witnesses are people who come to court to tell what they've seen or heard. These people should either be witnesses who saw what happened or experts on the subject matter of the claim involved. Whether you're the plaintiff or the defendant, you may bring witnesses to trial to support your story. More

After Small Claims Court

Generally, the judge's decision will be announced at the end of a small claims trial. Neither party can appeal the decision of the judge or hearing officer in a small claims case. However, either party may request the court to vacate or modify the judgment. More

Collecting the Judgment

The small claims process isn't necessarily over just because you filed a claim, went to trial and won a court judgment. You may need to take action and spend money to enforce the judgment. The court won't collect the judgment for you. There are several methods for collection available. More

Alternatives to Small Claims Court

There are alternative ways to solve your legal problems outside of court. These alternatives are called alternative dispute resolution or ADR for short. All forms of ADR use a neutral person to decide a case or help both sides come to an agreement without a trial. More

Related Resources on Lawyers.com^sm

- Start the process with our Arizona Small Claims Worksheet
- Next in the Small Claims series: Filing a Small Claims Suit in Arizona
- Success In Small Claims Court
- Small Claims Court Terms
- Defending a Small Claims Court Case
- Visit our Small Claims Court Forum for more help

Related Web Links

- Arizona Small Claims Division
- Arizona Small Claims Chart
- Arizona Court Forms