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Judgment Enforcement – The Step-by-Step Course



                                                     Small Claims Courts:

                       All 50 states have small claims courts. These courts are
                    designed to help individuals and businesses resolve their disputes    SMALL CLAIMS
                    quickly and inexpensively. No lawyers allowed. (PA is an              IS A GREAT
                    exception.) It’s kind of like Judge Judy, but without the attitude.
                                                                                          PLACE START
                       Small claims limits are from 2.4K to 15K, depending on the
                    state. Even if your state’s amount is small, you can learn tons       It’s simpler to deal with
                    there. And that’s what you first goal is – learning tons.             when you start, cheaper,
                                                                                          more forgiving of mistakes.
                       When someone files a small claims case, it is usually quite        And you can still make

                    simple. The Plaintiff pays anywhere from $40 to $75, depending        good money.
                    on the state, and he or she can sue the Defendant for an amount
                    up to the limit allowed by the state. In California, small claims suits can be as high as
                    $10,000. In Nebraska the limit is $2,400. In Delaware it is $15,000.




                                                 HOMEWORK: YOU CAN DO IT RIGHT

                                                                                  NOW.
                                                  Google your closest small claims court.
                                                                  Find out the following:
                                               1. What is the dollar limit?

                                               2. How much does it cost to start a suit?
                                               3. What forms are right there online?
                                               4. What are there hours?

                       1.  Finding Judgments at your Courthouse Online

                       I’ll cover this more in another section, but you should know right off that more and
                    more courthouses have tons of cases online. Sometimes it’s just a “case summary,” also

                    called a “register of actions.” And sometimes they even have the actual court paperwork
                    online for you to view (usually with a small fee, course.).
                    The information might be simple, only the basics, no $ amount, no addresses, like this:

                                                View Case Detail

                     Case Title:   MICHAEL CANLAS PANADO VS. LAJUAN SMITH
                    Case Number: 37-2018-00034153-CU-HR-SC Case Location: South County
                    Case Type:  Civil  Date Filed: 07/11/2018
                     Category:  CU-HRS    Harassment




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