What is Small Claims Court?
In California, the small claims court is a special court where disputes are quickly and inexpensively resolved. The rules are simple and the trial is informal. An individual can't ask for more than $7,500 in a claim. Businesses and governmental bodies can't ask for more than $5,000. More
Filing a Small Claims Suit
If you file a claim in a California small claims court, be prepared to spend some time preparing for your hearing, meeting with witnesses and attending the hearing. A plaintiff initiates a lawsuit by filing a claim to sue a defendant but the defendant may also file a claim in the same lawsuit. More
Small Claims Trials
You can get ready for court by planning what you are going to say. You can also talk to a small claims legal advisor or a lawyer before court. In court, the plaintiff will present his case first and then the defendant will be given an opportunity to present his side. More
Witnesses at a Small Claims Trial
Witnesses are people who come to court to tell what they've seen or heard. Whether you're the plaintiff or the defendant, you may bring witnesses to support your story. These people should either be witnesses who saw what happened or experts on the subject matter of the claim involved. More
After Small Claims Court
After your small claims trial is over, you may need to get paid or pay what you owe, you may also want to cancel the judgment, appeal the judgment or correct an error. More
Collecting the Judgment
Don't think the small claims process is 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. Sometimes it's difficult or even impossible to enforce the judgment. More
Alternatives to Small Claims Court
Suing someone in court isn't the only way to solve a legal problem. There are alternative ways to solve your legal problems outside of court. These alternatives are called alternative dispute resolution or ADR for short. More