It's for when you think the other side owes you less than $12,500 (or $6,250 if you're suing as a business).
If you are: a person (this includes sole-proprietors) you may claim up to $12,500; if you are a Corporation, limited liability company or partnership, you may claim up to $6,250.
This means that the parties agreed to arbitration in respect of all the disputes arising out of the obligations stated in the said contract without the need to refer to the details of such condition, where the referral to it is sufficient…”
Don't say you expect to recover any more than £10,000 - if you do, your case won't be treated as a small claim. If you're making a claim for something your landlord hasn't repaired, the maximum amount you can get in a small claims case is £1,000.
Where to file by City, ZIP code CityZIP Code(s)Your courthouse is Pleasant Hill 94523 Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, Martinez Point Richmond 94801 George D. Carroll Courthouse, Richmond Port Costa 94569 Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, Martinez Richmond 94530, 94801 - 94808, 94820, 94850 George D. Carroll Courthouse, Richmond32 more rows
Conclusion: Going to small claims court may be worth it for $500, but it will determine how you weigh your costs versus benefits. At a minimum, it is worth it to send a demand letter.
To give you an idea of the process that arbitration typically involves, the American Arbitration Association describes artibtration as having five main steps: Filing and initiation. Arbitrator selection. Preliminary hearing. Information exchange and preparation. Hearings. Post hearing submissions. Award.
Outline a concise factual background and then move on to a discussion of the issues at the heart of the case. Your arguments should flow easily from the relevant facts and applicable law. And, by all means, avoid exaggeration of the strengths of your case as well as disparagement of the opposing side.
If the parties have not appointed any arbitrator(s) and have not provided another method of appointment, then generally the case manager submits a list of potential arbitrators to the parties, who then may strike any names and rank the remaining in order of preference.