There are a lot of people that say small claims court when they mean civil court and vice versa but they are not the same. Civil court deals with non-criminal cases that primarily concern the division of marital assets or monetary compensation. Small claims court is actually a branch of civil court but it has a lot of aspects that set it apart from other branches.
Let our Peachtree City civil litigation attorney help you with your case!
In civil court the cases will usually be about:
- Property damage
- Probate issues
- Family issues
- Divorce
- Landlord and tenant disputes
- Child abuse
- Juvenile misconduct
- Cases in small claims court involve:
- Minor property damage
- Back rent
- Unpaid personal loans
- Minor consumer complaints
So even though they are part of the same system, small claims court can’t handle cases that involve divorce, malpractice or probate disputes.
Another way in which they differ is the need for representation. When you appear in civil court an attorney is not required but it is strongly encouraged. If you bring representation and the other person doesn’t then you can be fairly sure you have the upper hand in that situation. When you appear in small claims court you are not allowed to bring an attorney and you must present your case to the court yourself.
The maximum compensation you can receive in each court varies a great deal. In civil court there is no upper limit on how much you can seek in damages. But in small claims court your damages are limited to the three thousand to five thousand dollar range.
In essence, small claims court is a simple, straightforward way to get small amounts of damages. It was designed for those situations when someone owes you such a small amount of money that hiring an attorney to represent you would not be cost effective. By forcing you to represent yourself it keeps the costs down and simplifies the cases enormously.
If you believe that your case qualifies as a civil litigation case call one of our Peachtree City attorneys today. We can help you with your civil litigation case and make sure you have the upper hand in court.
