Step-by-step guides to filing, serving, presenting, and collecting on small claims cases in every state.
A breakdown of what it costs to file a small claims case in Texas justice court as of 2026: the petition filing fee, per-defendant service fees, jury and appeal charges, and how to proceed without paying up front using a Statement of Inability.
A default judgment in a Texas justice court can be entered when a defendant who was properly served does not file an answer by the deadline. This article explains when the judge can enter one, how a defendant asks the court to set it aside, the deadlines that apply, and how a plaintiff collects.
How to get a California writ of execution (Form EJ-130): what it does, the $40 issuance fee, the 180-day validity period, and how the sheriff enforces it.
A step-by-step walkthrough of filing a small claims case in California: eligibility, choosing the court, form SC-100, current fees, and serving the defendant.
Texas shields wages from most creditors. A judgment for an ordinary debt cannot reach a paycheck; only child support, spousal maintenance, and federal debts can. Here is the constitutional rule, the exceptions, and how creditors collect instead.
How to file a small claims case in a Texas justice court: what qualifies, where to file, completing the petition, fees and service costs, and the deadlines for answering and appealing.
An abstract of judgment, recorded with a Texas county clerk, creates a lien on the debtor’s non-exempt real property. How to obtain, record, and maintain it.
A writ of execution is how a Texas judgment creditor collects: a constable seizes and sells the debtor’s nonexempt property. When it issues and what is exempt.
Winning a Texas small claims case comes down to proof. How the justice court hearing works, the burden of proof, and the evidence and witnesses that decide it.
Winning is only half the job. How a judgment creditor collects a Florida small claims judgment through liens, writs of execution, and garnishment, and the exemptions that limit it.
A Florida small claims appeal goes to the circuit court and reviews the county court’s judgment for legal error, not for a new trial. Here are the 30-day deadline, the filing fee, the record requirement, and how to stop collection while the appeal is pending.
In Florida, the first small claims court date is a pretrial conference, not a trial. Here is how parties prepare: the pretrial conference, evidence, witnesses, mediation, and the trial itself.