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General
Information
Clerk
of Court
Probation
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Small Claims Division
You may visit the small claims division during the office hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number is (419) 352-5263, extension 2 for the Clerk’s Office, then extension 2 again for the civil/small claims division. The basic purpose of small claims court is to help individuals recover small amounts of money quickly, informally, and relatively inexpensively, and without hiring a lawyer; but if you don’t use a lawyer, you still must be able to prove your case.
The party who files the complaint is the plaintiff . . .
The Small Claims Division has jurisdiction for the recovery of money only up to $3,000 . . .
Typical cases involve suits for the return of security deposits, payment of back rent, repayment of loans, recovery of amounts paid for services never rendered . . .
4. COUNTERCLAIMS, CROSS-CLAIMS AND THIRD-PARTY COMPLAINTS A counterclaim is a claim brought by a defendant against a plaintiff . . .
Most small claims cases will first be referred to mediation, a process in which . . .
A party may obtain one (1) continuance, not to exceed thirty (30) days . . .
7. TRIAL, EVIDENCE AND SUBPOENAS The plaintiff will first present evidence . . .
8. MAGISTRATE'S DECISION AND FINAL JUDGMENT Based on the evidence and testimony presented, the Magistrate will file a decision . . .
It is the responsibility of the winning party to initiate any steps to collect judgment . . .
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