******* Legal Advice Needed ASAP ********
Umm no offense, but Small claims court is a WASTE of time and more money for me.
I loaned someone money, I had a contract signed and notorized. the person never paid me back, so I took him to small claims court. I had to pay 150 bucks for the hearing and and another 50 to someone to deliver the summons to him. SO I was out another 200 that they tack on to the amount owed if it turns out he is on the hook for owing me money. SO he owed me 700, that went up to 900 with the 150 for the hearing and the guy delivering the summons to him (I forget what the persons title is)
So we go to small claims court I have all my documents, I have the bank withdrawals from my account in the amounts he borrowed, I have the signed contract and I am golden. They order him to pay me the 900 at the rate of 60 dollars a week. I wasn;t pleased about the small increments but whatever I was gonna get my money right. Um no they guy just never paid me, and because it not a criminal case they was nothing the courts could do. Now the guy moved and lives 3 states away and I am not only out the money I lent but also the money for filing the claim and having the guy bring him the summons and they courts do absolutly NOTHING for you as far as making him pay goes.
All I can do is pay another 150 for another hearing and 50 more dollars to a guy to bring him the summons be out another 200 and he just won;t pay that because they do not enforce anything in Small claims. So now I am legally owed 900 and they do nothing to enforce it.
I know it stinks to be out all of your time, but like the others said better off taking the 700 and giving him 700 dollars worth of work, rather than go through all the hassle of small claims where you will have to spend even more money to get whats owed to you, and they basicly don't enforce it. he will just leagally owe you money and can still just not pay and all you can do is spend more money, to get more words out of the legal system, with little to no action.