Q: A national company made damages to my ceiling and floor . Who do I list as the defendant? The local or main office?
The main office is out of my state. The local office did the work. I found out the plumber that did the work is not personally licensed but working under the license of the company.
A: If the local office is a franchise and separately incorporated, you sue them. If they are part of the main company, you sue the main company. To be cautious, you sue both. Please note that you cannot sue the out of state company in Small Claims court. You have to file in District Court if the Defendant is out of state. If they are in state, you sue in the county where they are located. I strongly recommend you contatc a local attorney for a personal consultation before you sue. You may mess things up and waste your filing fee without some specific advice.
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