small-claims court

noun

Definition of small-claims court

: a special court intended to simplify and expedite the handling of small claims on debts

Examples of small-claims court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Beal and Thompson-Beal in 2013 went on the Judge Mathis TV show to settle a small-claims court lawsuit the mother filed against her daughter, according to Cleveland Municipal Court records. — Adam Ferrise, cleveland, "Woman accused of killing mother in Cleveland had history of disputes with her mom, including on Judge Mathis show," 19 Apr. 2021 So Joshua Browder, founder of DoNotPay, a service that helps people fight parking tickets and navigate small-claims court, has built an automated way to file. — NBC News, "Advocates challenge abortion bans in Louisiana, Tennessee during coronavirus pandemic," 16 Apr. 2020 And contrary to the goal of small-claims court providing a quick legal decision, some cases can go on for years, the consumer advocacy group found. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, "Payday loans are landing people in jail," 20 Feb. 2020 The group also said similar practices may be happening in small-claims courts in other states. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, "Payday loans are landing people in jail," 20 Feb. 2020 But unlike most eviction cases that play out in small-claims court, this one went much higher — and with much wider implications for the rent-to-buy housing market. — Crystal Hill, Indianapolis Star, "'A dream destroyed': How a homeownership deal left an Indianapolis couple homeless," 3 Dec. 2019 Your editorial suggests that arbitration is akin to small-claims court: You, a corporate representative and an arbitrator all work it out. — WSJ, "Arbitration or Not, Small Suits Are Doomed," 6 May 2019 Patrick DeJean, the Marrero justice of the peace charged with pocketing public money, over-garnishing debtors' wages and keeping the excess, now stands accused of obstructing the federal grand jury investigation into his small-claims court. — Drew Broach, NOLA.com, "Marrero justice of the peace hid records from grand jury, new indictment alleges," 27 Apr. 2018 The next steps for a consumer can be small-claims court or, if bankruptcy is filed, bankruptcy court, Albracht said. — Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "When a restaurant closes, what happens to those gift certificates?," 1 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'small-claims court.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

21 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Small-claims court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/small-claims%20court. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA