The Civil Division handles Small Claims, Landlord/Tenant and General Civil cases up to $25,000 involving lawsuits between two parties seeking money damages, injunctions, or equitable relief.
The person starting the case is called the plaintiff, and the person who is being sued is called the defendant. In most civil cases, the plaintiff is asking for a specific amount of money to be paid by the defendant. However, in some civil cases, the plaintiff may be asking the court to tell the defendant to stop some behavior or to do a specific thing.
The district court will handle the case if the claim is for $25,000 or less. The case must be filed in the district court where the incident occurred, or where the defendant lives or does business. The filing fee varies with the amount of the claim.
In a civil case, both the plaintiff and the defendant may be represented by an attorney, however if the case is filed in small claims an attorney is not allowed. If a dispute involves amounts of $3,000 or less the plaintiff can elect to file the case with the small claims division.
The court clerks are available to offer you assistance in processing your paperwork. Court clerks are NOT attorneys and are forbidden by law to give legal advice.