Q: Good evening, I was wondering if you could explain a bit about small claim court.
There's a roommate I had that refused to pay the last bill of a utility, well his portion anyway. Long story short, its not a big amount but he turned out to be really rude to alot of people so I wanted to know if i could sue him in small claim court so he doesn't get away with not paying just because he doesnt like us anymore. Sorry for taking your time with this small issue but ill appreciate any help.
A: Yes. There is no lower limit amount you can sue for in small claims court. Before you can sue, you must make a demand for payment to the person. If you do not know how to use the court, see if your county has a free small claims adviser. You can consult with, but not be represented by, a lawyer for the initial trial. See, for example, http://limitedscopecounsel.com/small-claims/ Also there is an excellent book about California small claims court published by Nolo Press.
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