Are cause of action elements required to be proven in small claims courts in Texas?

Question

I have a friend who was sued in small claims court by a debt buyer for "account stated" cause of action.  I helped him with his defense and he required the debt buyer to prove the four elements needed to show "account stated" cause of action.  But the judge totally ignored the demand that the debt buyer proves any of the elements needed for that cause of action and found my friend guilty solely on the debt buyer's affidavit stating the amount of the debt and that it was due and owing by the defendant. 
 
Are the rules in small claims court so relaxed that elements of a cause of action are not required to prove a claim?

Tim Akpinar · Answer

A Texas attorney could advise best, but your question remains open for two weeks. You are correct; a plaintiff must establish the elements of their cause of action in any forum, whether supreme court or small claims. It's difficult to say exactly what happened without seeing your file, but the judge could have deemed the debt to be presumed from the predecessor creditor's efforts. Another thing to consider is that in a busy small claims court, judges often need to move cases along quickly, and they might not have time to have litigants categorically establish each and every element of a cause of action the way one might see in a court of unlimited jurisdiction. Good luck 
 
Tim Akpinar

Q: Are cause of action elements required to be proven in small claims courts in Texas?