Small claims court
A Levels Academy Islamabad
Category
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CreativityTranscript
00:00Though they say justice is blind, in the eyes of the law,
00:04not all financial disputes are treated the same.
00:07Depending on the amount of money at stake,
00:09different cases have different rules.
00:12For some, $15,000 is the cutoff.
00:15Anything over is handled by circuit court
00:17and anything under is handled by county court.
00:20But small claims rules comes into effect
00:22with any sum under $5,000.
00:25In fact, if the value of your claim is just over $5,000,
00:29you might consider claiming only $5,000,
00:32forgetting about the amount over that,
00:34so that you can take advantage
00:35of some of the small claims rules.
00:38A small claims case begins when the party seeking money
00:40files what's known as a statement of claim.
00:43The accused is then served a notice of this.
00:46Unlike other types of cases,
00:47no process server is required to serve notice
00:50in small claims matters.
00:52Certified mail will do.
00:54It's like getting an invitation to a party
00:56that you must attend or face punishment.
01:01Now, the court may schedule
01:02what's called an initial pretrial conference.
01:05And this may result in the court ordering
01:06the parties involved to mediation.
01:09This basically means they must try
01:10to resolve the issue outside of court.
01:13There are many ways that small claims cases
01:15operate uniquely.
01:17For one, they move much faster
01:19and much more informally than other cases,
01:21much like Judge Judy,
01:23but without all the commercials and consolation prizes.
01:27Also, your opponent has no right
01:28to get discovery from you
01:30unless you are represented by an attorney.
01:32And unless required by the court,
01:34no pretrial motions or defensive pleadings are necessary.
01:38Cases can be dismissed in six months
01:39if the plaintiff does not push forward
01:41and can be disposed of summarily
01:43if there's no triable issue, even without a motion.
01:47And the court is even required
01:48to assist those representing themselves
01:50with things like decorum, presentation of evidence,
01:53and handling private information.
01:55But no matter the differences faced,
01:57LegalYou is there to help you navigate
01:59the many other nuances of small claims court.
02:03No matter which side of the dispute you are on
02:05and how much is at stake,
02:07you can never have enough knowledge
02:08of your legal rights and available choices.