在加州打小额法庭官司：加州法院官网指南全文转载
以下为转载信息。
转载：加州法院官网《加州小额法庭》自助指南
原文链接：https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/small-claims/before-you-start
小额法庭 basics：小额法庭允许你起诉你认为欠你钱的个人、企业或政府机构。一般来说，个人在小额法庭最多只能索赔12,500美元（企业作为原告上限为6,250美元）。开庭前你可以向律师咨询，但开庭时律师不能陪你出庭、不能代表你。
费用与时间：立案费在30至100美元之间。付不起可以向法院申请费用减免。立案后，开庭（审判）通常安排在1到2个月之后。
小额法庭的限制：
- 不能由律师代表出庭。
- 赢了官司，钱要自己去收，法院不帮你执行收款。
- 作为原告，如果输了不能上诉，法官的判决是终局的。如果你是被告，或者对方反诉你而你输了，则可以上诉。
- 每年起诉金额超过2,500美元的案件不能超过两次。
索赔金额举例（押金纠纷）：房东搬走后没有退还押金，也没有在法定期限内寄出说明扣款理由的信。法律允许租客索赔的金额超过押金本身，以惩罚不遵守法律的房东；如果房东是恶意扣留押金，法官还可以判给租客最高两倍押金的损害赔偿。相关法律见加州民法典第1950.5条。加州法院官网另有《加州押金指南》：https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/guide-security-deposits-california
以上内容转载自加州法院官网，原文链接已附。本文仅供信息参考，不构成法律意见。
Suing in California Small Claims Court: Repost of the California Courts Official Guide
The following is reposted information.
Repost: California Courts official Self-Help Guide, "Small Claims in California"
Original link: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/small-claims/before-you-start
Small claims basics: Small claims court allows you to sue a person, business, or government agency that you think owes you money. Generally, you can only sue for up to $12,500 in small claims court (or up to $6,250 if you are suing as a business). You can ask a lawyer for advice before you go to court, but a lawyer cannot go with you or represent you in court.
Costs and timing: The filing fee is between $30 and $100. If you cannot afford it, you can ask the court for a fee waiver. Once you file, your court date (trial) is typically set about 1 to 2 months out.
Limits of small claims court:
- You cannot have a lawyer represent you.
- If you win, you have to collect the money yourself; the court does not do it for you.
- If you started the case and lose, you cannot appeal — the judge's decision is final. You can appeal if you were sued, or if the other side countersued you and you lost.
- You cannot file more than twice in one calendar year for claims over $2,500.
Example — security deposit disputes: A landlord did not return the deposit after move-out and did not send a letter explaining the deductions within the time the law requires. The law allows a tenant to sue for more than the deposit amount to penalize a landlord who does not follow the law; if the landlord kept the deposit in bad faith, the judge may award up to two times the deposit in damages. See California Civil Code section 1950.5. The California Courts also publish a "Guide to security deposits in California": https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/guide-security-deposits-california
The above is reposted from the California Courts official website, with original links provided. For informational purposes only; not legal advice.
图片来源：Lobo 摄，CC BY 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）
