Notes

SMALL CLAIMS PAPER (50 points)
(3 to 5 pages, not including the form)

The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn how to file a small claims lawsuit. As discussed in class, small claims court is a great way for people to be able to resolve their differences over relatively small amounts of money at little cost to either party. The idea behind having such hearings is that there should be a cheap and easy way for people to be able to get a judge to rule on any given dispute.

All you have to do for this assignment is describe how you would file a small claims lawsuit in the event you ever had to. In the future if you ever have any business disputes in your personal life you will have benefited by doing this assignment because you will know exactly what you need to do to file a small claims suit. You will also know what to do in the event you are ever sued in small claims court.

I.) Obtain the form you need to file a small claims suit against another person. Attach a copy of this form to your paper. (Five points)

II.) Then, in your own words, answer the following questions:

1) What are the legal requirements for Small Claims Court? (Five points)
2) Where is the courthouse where one files such an action? With whom? (Five points)
3) What hours is the court open? (Five points)
4) What topics does a small claims suit include? (Five points)
5) What is the dollar limit one can sue for? (Five points)
6) What specific papers must be filed? How much does it cost to file? (Five points)
7) Can an attorney be present at your appearance? Why or why not? (Five points)

III.) Explain what you learned from this assignment. (10 points)

NOTE: you will not be expected to file a small claims suit; you will only be required to show evidence that you know how to proceed with a small claims action.