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A small
claims action is a civil lawsuit where the Plaintiff is seeking a monetary
recovery of $5,000 or less. The $5,000 amount wasincreased from $2,500 as
of October 1, 2003.
In
Maryland, all small claims actions must be filed in the State District
Court and are decided by a Judge.
While a
ruling in a small claims action carries the same weight as any other
Judgment, the trial procedure is somewhat different. For example, to make
small claims actions easier to pursue with or without an attorney, the
District Court uses “relaxed rules of evidence,” meaning certain rules of
evidence are not enforced. Further, affidavits of witnesses are accepted
in place of live testimony.
Small
Claims Court can be a quick and inexpensive way to resolve disputes.
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