4/12/2018 T he Murky Wa te rs b e twe e n Sma ll Cla ims a nd - PDF document

4/12/2018 T he Murky Wa te rs b e twe e n Sma ll Cla ims a nd Civil Distric t Co urt Pr esenter s: Sc ho o l o f Go ve rnme nt Pro fe sso r Do na L e wa ndo wski & Distric t Co urt Judg e Be c ky T in, Distric t 26 Sma ll Cla ims Sub je c t Ma tte r Jurisd ic tio n NCGS Sec tion 7A-211 Small c laim ac tions assignable to magistr ates. ...[A] sma ll c la im a c tio n is a c ivil a c tio n whe re in: I n the inte re st o f spe e dy a nd c o nve nie nt de te rmina tio n, 1. T he a mo unt in c o ntro ve rsy…do e s no t e xc e e d te n tho usa nd do lla rs ($10,000); a nd the c hie f distric t judg e ma y, in his disc re tio n, b y spe c ific o rde r o r g e ne ra l rule , a ssig n to a ny ma g istra te o f his distric t 2. T he o nly princ ipa l re lie f pra ye d is mo ne ta ry, o r the re c o ve ry o f spe c ific pe rso na l pro pe rty, o r summa ry a ny sma ll c la im a c tio n pe nding in his distric t if the e je c tme nt, o r a ny c o mb ina tio n o f the fo re g o ing in de fe nda nt is a re side nt o f the c o unty in whic h the pro pe rly jo ine d c la ims; a nd ma g istra te re side s. I f the re is mo re tha n o ne de fe nda nt, a t 3. T he pla intiff ha s re q ue ste d a ssig nme nt to a ma g istra te in le a st o ne o f the m must b e a b o na fide re side nt o f the the ma nne r pro vide d in this Artic le . c o unty in whic h the ma g istra te re side s. NCGS Se c tio n 7A-210. 1

4/12/2018 A F ish Just Jumpe d I nto Yo ur Bo a t. Case tr ansfer r ed by magistr ate Pla intiff file s Sma ll Cla ims Co mpla int fo r a nd se e ks da ma g e s in the a mo unt o f $12,500. Ma g istra te e nte rs a Co ntinua nc e Orde r, sta ting tha t the a mo unt so ug ht b y Pla intiff e xc e e ds the $10,000 sma ll c la ims thre sho ld a nd o rde rs tha t the c a se b e tra nsfe rre d to distric t c o urt. T he c a se is g ive n a CVD numb e r b y the c le rk’ s o ffic e a nd the pa rtie s we re no tic e d fo r he a ring in c ivil distric t c o urt b ut the c le rk’ s o ffic e did no t issue a ne w summo ns to initia te Do yo u thro w the fish b a c k o r ke e p it? a n a c tio n in the g e ne ra l distric t c o urt divisio n. Ca n the Distric t Co urt Judg e he a r this T he re is no sta tuto ry a utho rity fo r a c a se ? ma g istra te to “tra nsfe r” a c a se to g e ne ra l c ivil distric t c o urt. a . YE S ~ K e e p the fish! b . NO ~ T hro w it b a c k! 2

4/12/2018 A sma ll c la ims a c tio n is initia te d b y a A distric t c o urt a c tio n is initia te d b y a Sma ll Cla ims Summo ns Distric t Co urt Summo ns T o the a b o ve -na me d De fe nda nt: Yo u a re he re b y A Civil Ac tio n Ha s Be e n Co mme nc e d Ag a inst Yo u! Yo u a re summo ne d to a ppe a r b e fo re a Ma g istra te o f the Distric t no tifie d to a ppe a r a nd a nswe r the c o mpla int o f the pla intiff a s Co urt, a t 9:00 a m June 23, 2016 to de fe nd a g a inst pro o f o f fo llo ws: In T he Ge ne ra l Co urt Of Justic e Distric t Co urt the c la im sta te d in the c o mpla int file d in this a c tio n. You Divisio n… Se r ve a c opy of your wr itte n answe r to the c omplaint may file wr itte n answe r making de fe nse to the c laim in the upon the plaintiff or plaintiff's attor ne y within thir ty (30) days afte r offic e of the Cle r k of Supe r ior Cour t not late r than the time you have be e n se r ve d. Yo u ma y se rve yo ur a nswe r b y de live ring a c o py to the pla intiff o r b y ma iling it to the pla intiff's la st kno wn se t for tr ial. If you do not file answe r , plaintiff must a ddre ss, a nd 1. 2. F ile the o rig ina l o f the writte n a nswe r with the ne ve r the le ss pr ove his/ he r c laim be for e the Magistr ate . Cle rk o f Supe rio r Co urt o f the c o unty na me d a b o ve . If you fail to But if you fail to appe ar , judgme nt for the r e lie f de mande d answe r the c omplaint, the plaintiff will apply to the Cour t for the in the c omplaint may be r e nde r e d against you. r e lie f de mande d in the c omplaint . I f a ma g istra te “tra nsfe rs” a c a se to c ivil distric t c o urt, the NCGS 7A-215 Pr oc edur e upon nonassignment of small judg e sho uld (a ) dismiss the c a se fo r la c k o f sub je c t c laim ac tion ma tte r jurisdic tio n o r (b ) re turn the c a se to the Cle rk o f Supe rio r Co urt with instruc tio ns tha t the c le rk’ s o ffic e sho uld tre a t the c a se a s “no na ssig ne d”; …Upo n no na ssig nme nt, the c le rk imme dia te ly issue s summo ns in the ma nne r a nd fo rm pro vide d fo r c o mme nc e me nt o f c ivil a c tio ns g e ne ra lly, whe re upo n pro c e ss is se rve d, re turn ma de , a nd ple a ding s a re re q uire d to b e file d in the ma nne r pro vide d fo r c ivil a c tio ns T hr ow that fish out! g e ne ra lly….Upo n the jo ining o f the issue , the c le rk pla c e s the a c tio n upo n the c ivil issue do c ke t fo r tria l in the distric t c o urt divisio n. 3

4/12/2018 Ho w sho uld the distric t c o urt judg e pro c e e d? Motion objec ting to venue T he de fe nda nt in a sma ll c la ims a c tio n ra ise d a n o ra l a . K e e p the fish a nd he a r o b je c tio n to ve nue a t tria l b e fo re the ma g istra te . the o ra l mo tio n De fe nda nt a rg ue s tha t the re nta l pro pe rty a t issue is c ha lle ng ing ve nue ; lo c a te d in a n a djo ining c o unty a nd the ma tte r sho uld b e b . T hro w it b a c k a nd he a rd in tha t c o unty. T he ma g istra te suspe nd s the sma ll c la ims a c tio n pe nding a distric t c o urt judg e ’ s ruling o n the re turn the c a se to sma ll c la ims fo r tria l. mo tio n a nd dire c ts tha t the ma tte r b e pla c e d o n a c ivil distric t c o urt c a le nda r. F ishing in Pro te c te d Wa te rs: the L a nd lo rd-T e na nt NCGS 7A-221 Objec tions to venue and jur isdic tion over Re la tio nship in Summa ry E je c tme nt Pro c e e d ing s per son. FISH AT By mo tio n prio r to filing a nswe r, o r in the a nswe r, the YOUR de fe nda nt ma y o b je c t [to ve nue o r pe rso na l jurisdic tio n]. OWN T he se mo tio ns…a re he a rd o n no tic e b y the c hie f distric t RISK judg e o r a [de sig na te d] distric t judg e … Assig nme nt to the ma g istra te is suspe nde d pe nding de te rmina tio n… All the se obje c tions ar e waive d if not made pr ior to the date se t for ial. I f ve nue is de te rmine d to b e impro pe r, o r is o rde re d tr c ha ng e d , the a c tio n is tra nsfe rre d to the distric t c o urt o f the ne w ve nue , a nd is no t the re a fte r a ssig ne d to a ma g istra te , b ut pro c e e ds a s in the c a se o f c ivil a c tio ns g e ne ra lly. 4

4/12/2018 Hypothetic al #3 c ont’d Upo n a ppe a l fo r tria l d e no vo , the distric t c o urt judg e finds tha t: Pla intiff file d a Co mpla int fo r Summa ry E je c tme nt in sma ll c la ims c o urt; the ma g istra te finds tha t the pa rtie s la c k a Defendant is a squatter who enter ed the pr emises owned la ndlo rd te na nt re la tio nship a nd dismisse s the Co mpla int; by Plaintiff whic h wer e vac ant at the time. Defendant Pla intiff a ppe a ls to Civil Distric t Co urt. never enter ed into a lease agr eement, or al or wr itten, with the Plaintiff. Plaintiff wants Defendant out of the pr emises; Defendant r efuses to leave. Hypothetic al #3 c ont’d Wha t sho uld the Co urt do ? A la ndlo rd-te na nt re la tio nship is a n e sse ntia l e le me nt o f a summa ry e je c tme nt a c tio n; the b urde n o f pro o f is o n la ndlo rd to e sta b lish the e xiste nc e o f suc h a re la tio nship in o rde r to a va il itse lf o f the spe c ia lize d pro c e dure a nd ant Pla intiff’ s Co mpla int fo r a. Gr re me dy e sta b lishe d b y NCGS 42-26. Summa ry E je c tme nt; i.e ., ke e p the fish . b. Dismiss Pla intiff’ s Co mpla int fo r Summa ry E je c tme nt fo r la c k o f S e e , e .g., Cre dle v Gib b s, 65 N.C. 192 (1871); Mc Co mb s v Wa lla c e , 66 N.C. 482 sub je c t ma tte r jurisdic tio n; (1872); Hug he s v Ma so n, 84 N.C. 472, 474 (1881); i.e ., thro w it bac k . 5