Why I Was in Small Claims Court
I have a chiropractic clinic and a patient stopped coming in and owed me $1,300. I was crazy for letting him run up that big a bill, but that's another story. So I filled out the papers and took him to small claims court to see if I could get the money.
What Happened?
The experience was pretty painless. I took my records to the court on the day the trial was scheduled. The defendant didn't show up. The judge looked at my records and said everything was in order and she awarded me the judgment. But, that was over a year ago and I haven't been able to collect. The court put a lien on his house, but unless he sells it, I can't get the money. He got laid off, so there are no wages to garnish.
Lessons Learned
- Although it was easy to file the claim and it only took an hour or so to go to court, I wish I had checked into the defendant a little more. I would not have wasted my time if I had known he was a deadbeat.
