How To File A Small Claim In Marion County, Indiana

Jurisdiction: 

Area of Law: 

Small claims courts have been set up in every state in the United States for settling disputes for small amounts between private litigants. They make the judicial system more efficient by settling smaller disputes in a separate forum from the formal court system. Small claims courts are a more informal forum where litigants can save on expenses, as they need not hire lawyers to represent them. The limit for jurisdiction under a small court varies from each state and county to the other.

 

Marion County, Indiana

Each of the nine townships in Marion County has its own small claims court. The limit of damages cannot exceed 6,000 dollars in any small claim dispute that comes under the county’s jurisdiction. Usually the claim has to be filed in the township where the defendant resides, or the place where the debt was incurred, in the case of recovery of money from an individual or where the accident occurred if the claim is for personal injury.

 

In Marion County, you can file your small claim online by filling up the Claim Form and submitting it. In addition, you will have to pay the filing fee and other service costs to the Marion County Small Claims Court based in Indianapolis. The date when the court receives the claim will be determined by the day when both the form and the fee have been received.

 

There are rules and procedures to be followed while filing your claim in Marion County. The claim must be filed within a specified time limit. In the case of personal injury or damage to personal property, the time limit is two years from the date of occurrence of the incident. If you are filing a claim for recovery of debts or recovery of rent or personal property, then you have to file within six years from the breach of contract. For detailed information on the rules and procedures for filing small claims in Marion County, you can refer to the Litigant’s Manual.

 

If you have any doubts or queries while filling up the notice of claim form, you can ask the court clerk for help. However, if you need legal advice, neither the clerk nor the judge can help you. You will have to contact an attorney for this purpose. You can use find a small claims attorney in the township where you are filing the claim through websites such as StateLawyers.com.