As I promised last Friday, here are a few things I learned going to small claims court two weeks ago. In no particular order...
- Being a small claims court judge must be much like being a teacher. He gave us instructions that some ignored. He explained things clearly, but some still could not answer him. I kind of felt sorry for him.
- If you find yourself having to take someone to court, document everything. And have all the documentation in a logical order.
- If serving court papers, make sure to submit proof of having done so at least five days before your court date.
- Be on time, but expect a long wait.
- It is illegal to charge more than 10% interest on a loan. (Not our case. A case prior to ours.)
- Cases were heard by quickest to resolve first. (Of course if we could have come to a compromise, we wouldn't have sued...)
- When your case is done, leave. (Papers were mailed out after.)
- And then don't return, wailing how the defendant "threatened" you out in the hall. (Another case prior to ours.)
- The judge can only rule on the specific case brought before him. Leave other matters out of it.
- Everyone's an idiot in court. Take a deep breath and try to keep up.
Interesting lessons....judges always try to get the parties to resolve a matter before they have to rule on it. I am glad you got a favorable outcome on your case.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, he had everyone try to come up with a compromise. In our case, wasn't happening.
DeleteSince son was a bit of a trouble maker I have found myself in a juvenile court at least once in my life (won't own up if there were more LOL). I did learn yep you got to be there on time when they say but you necessarily won't be the first case they call. I learned that if you have a public defender your case will be one of the last called (I'm presuming because the "top notch expensive" attorneys have some weight on the calendar to get their cases called first, but that's just my presumption).
ReplyDeleteI bet it was a fascinating time to observe people and learn what you did. Thanks for sharing them with us. I hope to not be in a small claims court.
betty
Dude. Makes me glad it's an experience I haven't had yet. Do things look favorable for you?
ReplyDeleteGuess it would help if I read the linked post before asking how things look. I'm glad the judge was on your side!
DeleteMe too. Since I had only posted that part last week, I didn't want to bore everyone with a rehash.
DeleteI'm glad the judge ruled in your favor. I've never been to small claims court. You learned a lot. Hopefully you won't have to use that knowledge again any time soon.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you took quite a bit in. Hope I never have to know that stuff, but thanks for posting.......you never know.
ReplyDeleteIdeally it's stuff no one ever has to do. Ideally.
DeleteTry to keep up with being an idiot? LOL
ReplyDeleteThe law its a funny thing, liz. So much can go right or left now. If you've got an employment case better off fighting it while in work and then theres the statute of limitations thing. Gawd. Lots of problems.
ReplyDelete"Everyone's an idiot."
ReplyDeletePretty much applies to life except it's "mostly" everyone.
HAHA....yep, you can learn so much just sitting in court.
ReplyDeleteYou can. That was the first mistake. If one has the time, one should totally sit in on the court before one's trial date. It would help.
DeleteWe don't have a small claims court, so that in itself is something new.
ReplyDeleteSo many minutiae to remember. Glad things turned out well.
ReplyDeleteSomething as big as home repair seems big enough to take to court. Glad it worked for you!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to get my mind into a place where the "little things" that happen stay little in my head and not imaginary court cases.
Well, it depends, doesn't it? If it's bothering you, it might not really be little.
DeleteThat sounds about right and glad it worked out in your favour. This is my work life
ReplyDeleteAh. Yes, I'm not surprised.
DeleteNumber 10 is so very true. I work in the court system, and I'm still amazed sometimes by the things people say and do in open court.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked, too. I was trying to be on my best behavior, but some of those who went before us...
DeleteI went back and read your previous posts about this. What a nightmare!! We've had nothing but water problems in our apt. including water coming out of a light fixture/fan but thankfully it was above the dining room table and not a bed! What a pain but you guys won so that's the bonus.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how well the water streams down a fan/light fixture. I was half expecting the thing to short out.
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