Filing a Small Claim in Tarrant County, Texas

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Small claims courts are courts of limited jurisdiction that are designed to hear civil cases between private litigants.  Their purpose is to prevent clogging up the formal court system with relatively petty matters through a less formal forum.  Small claims courts also limit the judgments awarded.  This limit is generally set at $5,000 – though it may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

 

The rules of civil procedure and evidence are typically simplified in small claims proceedings so as to allow non-lawyers to litigate their matters without the help of a costly attorney.  Formal and costly procedures such as depositions are not allowed in small claims, and generally speaking, neither is a trial by jury.

 

Filing Small Claims in Tarrant County

 

Any individual or company (aside from a business primarily engaged in lending money with interest or a collection agency) can file in Tarrant County Small Claims Court for damages up to $10,000.

 

In order to file your claim, you will first need to make a statement of the claim under oath.  This can be done in one of two ways: appearing in person before either the Justice of the Peace or the clerk at one of the appropriate courts and filing a statement of the claim under oath, or filing the appropriate form, which you need to get at the courthouse, with the Justice of the Peace or clerk of the court.  The Justice of the Peace will collect $34 in fees for the filing of the claim.

 

After filing, the defendant must be notified through a citation, which will be issued by either the Justice of the Peace or the clerk. This citation is directed to the defendant and informs him or her of the date of the filing, the case number, the names of the parties involved, and the details of the claim.  The citation also warns the defendant about the risk of losing the judgment by default should he or she not appear on the specified date.

 

The defendant may be served either by personal delivery or through registered, certified mail addressed to the defendant with a return receipt requested.  If the plaintiff is unsuccessful in his or her attempts to serve the defendant with the citation, he or she may request an alternative method of service, which is to be supported by an affidavit stating that the previous attempts to serve the defendant were unsuccessful and that the method of service that is being requested will be effective.  The Justice of the Peace may also authorize service by leaving a copy of the citation with any appropriate person over the age of 16. However, there may be fees due to Tarrant County if service requires the use of county constables.

 

If the defendant either does not file a response with the court or fails to appear at the specified hearing, then the Justice of the Peace will enter a default judgment in favor of the plaintiff for the amount the plaintiff has shown is owed to him or her. If the plaintiff does not appear, the Justice of the Peace may dismiss the case, and depending on the circumstances, the plaintiff may not be able to re-file the claim. 

 

For more information about the Tarrant County small claims process, visit the Tarrant County Justice of the Peace Court website or the general Tarrant County Court website.