The Small Claims Court has monetary jurisdiction up to $10,000.00. Claims for more than $10,000.00 may not be brought in Small Claims Court. They must be started in the Civil Part of the court or in a different court.
A small claims action begins by filing a Statement of Claim. Small claim cases should be filed with the clerk in the appropriate county. Filing fees for small claims actions are established in the Florida Statutes and local county ordinances. The clerk of court may be able to provide information on filing fees.
The written response must be made within 20 days of personal service, or within 30 days of the time when service by any other means is complete. If defendant fails to respond, he or she is in default and plaintiff may be able to obtain a default judgment against the defendant for the relief requested.
How long you have to file a claim in court, notably Small Claims Court, varies depending on the topic and circumstances of the respective litigation. Chapter 95.11, Florida Statutes, explains that a person has between one and five years.
To begin an action in Small Claims Court, a person, or someone acting on his or her behalf, must come to the Small Claims Court Clerk's office in the proper county and fill out a statement of claim. To find out where the clerk's office is located in your county, click on Locations.
A statement of claim is a document prepared by the plaintiff, that is, the person or company who is initiating the case in the court. A statement of claim usually accompanies a writ or could be otherwise needed during the course of a proceeding.
You can defend a statement of claim if you believe you don't owe all or part of the claim. To defend the claim you must file a document called a defence. A defence confirms that you deny some or all of the claim and the reasons why. These reasons are called the grounds of your defence.
For the part of the claim that you dispute, give a full response to what is claimed. It may be helpful to use separately numbered paragraphs. Attach an Additional Parties Form 1A form, if there is more than one plaintiff or defendant in the case and check the “Additional plaintiff/defendant” box on the defence form.
A case statement is simply a written document that states the most important facts about an organization. It can range in length from a wallet-size card to twenty pages or more.