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If you do not settle out of court or file an Appearance on or before the Return Date, and you fail to appear in court on the Return Date, a Judgment by default may be entered against you for the amount claimed, plus court costs.

Suing someone for $10,000 or less Small claims court is a civil court where a plaintiff (person filing the case) can sue someone (a defendant) for $10,000 or less. It has simplified rules and can go much faster than other types of cases.

Eight Step Process Go to the courthouse. ... List your name as the plaintiff. ... The party you are suing is called the defendant. ... List the amount of money you request as damages. Include a brief explanation about why you are suing the defendant. The clerk will assign a number to each small claim case.

Filing fees generally are not more than $250. You may also need to pay a small fee for serving the defendant. If you win your case, you can usually have the defendants pay for your court costs. If you pay the filing fee, you can apply to have your fee waived.

You generally have two years to sue someone for personal injury in Illinois. The two-year deadline usually starts to count on the date of the incident that caused your injury. This deadline for initiating a personal injury case in Illinois is called a statute of limitations.

To file a civil lawsuit, you must complete a Complaint form, a Summons form as well as a Civil Division Action Cover Sheet. These forms are available in the Civil Division of the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (Clerk's Office) in Room 601 of the Richard J.