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ALAS K A SMALL CL AIMS HANDBOOK June 2013 Ala ska Cour t System The fo rm s m ent io n ed in th is bo ok let a re a v aila b le at all sta te co u rtsa nd o n the co urt syste m ’s website: ww w .co urt s.a la sk a.gov/fo rm s.htm SC- 100 (6 /1 3) (g re en cvr) Prepared by the Alaska Cou rt System© Copyrigh t 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005,2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 20 13 Alask a Court S yste mAll rig ht s res erv ed. Per miss io n to rep rodu ce the co n ten ts of th is ha ndbook , but not fo r pr ofit , is he reby gran ted to gov ernm ental a nd educa tio nal ins tit ut ions . H ow ev er, repr oduc tion of any part of thi s handbo ok for com mer cial pu rpos es w ithou t th e expr ess writt e n perm iss io n of th e Ala sk a C our t Syst em is stric tly proh ibi ted. TABLE OF CONTE N TS Chapter I. Introduct ion to S mall Cla im s ............................................................... ...... 1 A. W HAT IS A SM ALL CLA IM S CASE ........................................................................................... 1B. THE C HOIC E: SMA LL CLA IMS PROC EDUR E OR FOR MAL PROC EDU RE................................ .....1 C. W HO C AN FIL E A SMA LL CLA IMS CASE ................................................................ ..................1 D. WHO C AN BE SUED IN A SMA LL CLA IMS C ASE ................................................................ .......1E. HOW T O ST AR T A SMA LL C LA IMS CASE ................................................................ .................2F. HOW T O R ESP OND TO A S MA LL C LA IMS COMPLAINT ............................................................. 2 G. F ORMS ................................ ................................................................................................ .2H. L AWYERS................................ .............................................................................................. 2 I. SPEC IA L S IT U ATION WHEN LAW YER S ARE NECESSARY.......................................................... 2 J. CAN SOM EON E O THE R TH AN A L AW YER R EPR ESEN T YOU IN A SMA LL CLA IMS CASE ............. 2 Chart: Comparis on of P roce dures ................................................................ ..................3Chart: Sequence of Eve nts in a Sm all Clai ms Case ....................................................... 4 Chapter II How to Start a Sm all Clai ms C ase .............................................................. 5A. BEFORE YOU FILE................................ ............................................................... ................... 5 B. FIL ING PROCE DUR ES ................................................................................................ .............5C. HOW T O FIL L OUT TH E FORMS ............................................................................................... 6 D. HOW TO GIVE NOTIC E TO A S MA LL CLA IMS DEFENDANT ..................................................... 14 E. NO TIFI CA TIO N THA T THE DOCUME NTS W ER E SERVE D OR NOT SERVED ............................... 15 F. DE FE ND ANT'S RESPO NSE ................................................................................................ .....15 G. CHANGE OF ADDRES S................................................................................................ ..........17 H. SETT L E M EN T PR IOR TO TR IA L ............................................................................................. 17Chapter III. What to do If Som eon e Sues Yo u in S mall Clai ms Co urt ................... 18A. W HAT TO D O IF YOU ARE SERVED W IT H A S UMM ON S AND COMPLAINT ............................... 18 B. IF YO U A GREE W IT H WHA T T HE PL A IN TIFF SAYS ................................................................ ..19 C . IF YO U DO NOT AGR EE W IT H W HA T T HE PL A IN TIFF SAYS ...................................................... 20 D. CHANGE OF ADDRES S................................................................................................ ..........21 Chapter IV. Preparing for Tr ial .................................................................................. 22 A. C OL LE C T E V ID ENCE ................................ ............................................................... ............. 22B. CONT ACT WITNESSES ............................................................................................... ........... 22 C. SUBPOEN A W IT NE SSES I F NEC ESSAR Y ............................................................... .................. 22D. PREPA RE OUTLINE................................ ................................................................ ...............22 Chapter V. Trial ................................ ................................................................ .............23 A. B EFORE TRIAL................................ .................................................................................... .23 B . DUR ING TR IA L ............................... ..................................................................................... 23C. SUGG EST IO NS ABOU T SE TTLE M EN T .................................................................................... 24D. AT THE END O F THE TR IA L ................................................................................................ ..24Chapter VI.After Trial ................................................................................................ 25A. PAYM EN T OF JUD GMENT ................................................................................................ .....25 B. IN ST A LL M EN T PAY MENTS O F TH E JUDG MEN T ............................................................... ...... 25C. J UDGM EN T DE BTOR R EFU SE S TO PAY JUDG MENT ................................................................ 25 D. R ELIE F FR OM JU DGMENT................................................................................................ .....26 Appendix A: Sm all Cla im s St atute and District Cou rt Civil Rul es ............................. 27 1Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo kCha pter I INTRO DUCTI ON TO SMA LL CLA IM SA. WH AT IS A S MALL CL AIM S CASE ?A small claims case is a sim plified ty pe of court case in wh ic h a person can att e mpt to recove r money or p ersona l pr op ert y wo rth $10,000 or less. If you r claim is ove r $10,000, you can sti ll use small claims court b ut you must give up the right to coll ect the a mou nt ove r $10,000. The$10,000 fig ur e doe s not i nclude inter est or court costs .You do not need a lawyer in a small claims ca se , alt houg h you may have one if you wish. Small claim s co urt ma y only be used if all parties a gr ee to us e thi s si mp lif ie d pro cedu re.Small claim s proc edure ma y not be us ed for a n y of the f ollowing :1) disag re ements about t itle to re al prop ert y2) acti ons to recov er poss ession of r eal prop ert y3) evictions4) claims aga inst the Sta te of Alaska or the United St ates g overnme nt5) injunc tive re li ef ( a c ourt orde r requiri ng a pe rson to do or not to do a spec if ied a ct)6) acti ons to foreclos e or e nfo rc e statutor y, comm on law or possessor y liensThis booklet e x plains small claims proc edure . It is ba se d prim ari ly on the district c ourt rules established by th e Ala ska S upr eme Court. A c opy of th ese rules is i ncluded in App endix A.B . THE CH OICE : SM ALL CLAIM S P RO CED URE O R FO RM AL PRO CEDURE.If you choose not to use small claims proc edure , yo u can file a for mal c iv il suit . B ut, if you do so, you will have to follow the more c omp lica ted formal Rules of Civ il P roc edure , and you will proba bly ne ed a law yer. See the c h art on pag e 3 for a compar ison of these two ty pe s of proc edur e.C. WH O CA N F IL E A SM ALL CL AIMS CASE .Anyon e 18 years of ag e or older may file.1 A pe rson unde r ag e 18 is all owe d to file only with the ass istan ce of a pare nt or gu ardia n. Partn erships, unincor porated a ssocia tions , li m ited liabil ity companie s, a nd cor pora tions ma y also file small claims c ase s.D. WH O CA N BE SUED IN A SM ALL CL AIMS CASE.The foll owing m ay be sued:1. Persons 18 y ears of age or older . Persons under age 18 may be sued through their parent orlega l gua rdi an. Note : If the person is outsi de Alaska, the person usuall y cannot be sued insmall claims court unless a dist rict court judge, ra ther than a mag istra te , pr esides over thecase . This is because a ma gist rate may not pre side over a small cla im s case if th edoc uments ope ning the case are deli ve red to the defe nd ant outsi de the s ta te, ex cept in the situa tions list ed in #3 and #4 be low.2 See pa ge 14.2. Partne rships, unincorpor ated associa tions, limi ted li a bil ity compani es and cor pora tions doing busine ss in Ala ska.3. A la ndlord r esidi ng outsi de Ala ska (se e AS 34.03. 340).4. A nonre sident owner or ope ra tor of a mo tor vehicle invo lve d in an ac cid ent in Ala ska (seeAS 09.05.020).1 District Court Civi l Rule 14 and AS 25.20.010. This a g e li mi tation does not a ppl y to chil dren who ha ve g on e throug h c ourt e manc ipation pr oc ee din gs unde r AS 09.55.590 or who a re conside red to hav e re ach ed the a ge of ma jority un der A S 25.20.020.2 AS 22.15.120(c ) Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k2E . HO W TO START A S MALL CL AIMS CASE .The one who beg ins the case is call ed the plai ntif f. Pro ce dure s fo r the plain tiff a re in Ch apterII, pa ge 5.F. HO W TO RE SP O ND TO A SM ALL CLAIM S CO MPL AINT .If you have re c eived a s mall claims C om plai nt, yo u are the defe n d an t in the case . P ro cedur es for the defe nda nt a re in Cha pter III, p ag e 18.G . FO RM S.You can get sm all claims for ms fr om your district court a t no cost. Many of the for ms are a lso ava ilable on the web a t www .courts.a laska.g ov/for ms.htm H. LAWYERS .Most people who file or defend small claims case s do not use lawyers. Small c laim s procedur es a re designe d to be used without a l a w yer, but y ou can be repr ese nted by a law yer if yo u wish.S ometim es it is diff icult to decide whe ther you should hire a law yer. S ome case s invo lving only small amount s of mone y or pr ope rty can be c ompl icated. I f you are unsure about whethe r you should hire a law yer, it is a good idea to talk to one about y our case be fore y ou decide whether you c an ha ndle i t alone. If you do not kn ow a lawyer, you c an c all or w rite:Law yer R efe rr al S ervic e Alaska Bar Associat ion P.O. B ox 100279Anchorage , A K 99510 -0279P hon e: 272- 0352or800-770- 9999 ou tside A nch or age(toll f r ee w ithi n Alask a)If an y pa rty in a small c laim s c ase re qu ests for mal rules, eac h party should talk t o a law yer.I. A SPE CIAL SIT UATI ON W HEN L AWYERS ARE NECESSAR Y.The re is on e kind of case in whic h the Distric t Court Civil Rul es re quire that the person filing the suit be re pr ese nted b y a la w yer. This is a sui t to col le ct a n assi gn ed c lai m. Distric t Court Civil Rule 15(c). An a ssi gne d claim is one in whic h a pe rson ha ving a c laim has a ssi gne d (given o r sold) thi s ri ght to anoth er pe rson o r to a c oll ecti on a genc y.Anothe r sit uation in whi ch you may find it ne cessar y to c onsult a law yer is if you sue a pe rson under ag e 18, a ment all y incompe tent person or a pe rson in the acti ve mili tar y se rvice . Th ere are spe cial law s pr ote cti ng these persons from defa ult judgment as ex plaine d in Secti on F.1. on page 16.J. CAN S OM EO NE OT HER T HAN A L AWYER REPRE SE NT YOU IN A S MALL CLAIM S CASE ?No. Only law yers (o r le ga l int erns) may repre se nt other peopl e in cou rt. ( The one ex cepti on to this is that a pe rson under ag e 18 may be re p re se nted by a pa re nt or gua rdi an.) Ev en thou gh yo u ma y ha ve g iven so meone a pow er of att or ne y all owing that person to a ct for you in ce rta in business tr ansac tions, a powe r of att or ne y will not ena ble a pe rson to re pr ese nt you in court. A power of att or ne y ma y authoriz e y ou to sue on beha lf of anoth er pe rson, but you must re tain an att or ne y to do so. Christ ianse n v. Melind a, 857 P .2d 345 Ala ska (1993) . 3Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo kCO MPARIS ON OF PR O CEDU RESSM ALL C LAIM S FOR MAL C IV ILF il ing Fee $40 if your claim i s for $2500 or less$90 in di strict c ourt$75 if your c laim i s for more than $2500Jur y Trial noyes, if on e is re questedNe ed fo r a L aw yerusually no usually yesF ormal Rules of Eviden ce atTr ialno yesF orms Suppli ed b y Courtyes noCost of Serving Proc ess on each defe nda nt b y-b y Ce rtifie d, R eturn Rec eipt , Restricte d Delive ry M ailP ostag e plus $4. Postag e.(Plaintiff gives court sta mped envelope add ressed tode fenda nt a nd c ompl eted post al forms. C ourt ha ndles maili ng .)(Plaintiff handles mailing.)-by Pro cess S erv er usually $65 usually $65Servic e of Pr ocessOutside AlaskaAllowe d in case s b eing heard b y a district cour t judge .Dist. Ct. C iv. Rule 11( a)( 4) , AS 22.15.120(b)W hen c ase is bei ng he ard b y a magist rate , then allowe d onl y as provided in:- AS 34.03.340 (service on nonresident landlord in Landlo rd-Tenant Ac t case ), and- AS 09.05.020 (service onnonre sident owne r or ope ra torof motor ve hicle involved inacc ident in Alask a).Allowe d.Complexit y of Pro cedu res There are a pprox imatel y 15 to20 court r ules g ove rning small claims pro ce dur e.The re are ov er 80 c ourt r ules gove rnin g for mal civi l procedur e.Esti mated Time Befo re Tria l 4 to 12 we eks af te r a ns wer is filed.6 to 10 m onths after answe r is filed. Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k4Sequence of E vent s in a S mall C la im s C asePlaintiff files case P lain tiff attempts to hav e Com plain t, etc. ser ved on defen dan t.Def en d an t is n ot s erved . Plain tiff ret urn s to court fo r ins tr uctio ns an d m ak es fu rth er attempts to ser ve De fe n d an t.Def en d an t is s er ved .Def en d an tPay s C lai mDef en d an t files small c lai ms Answ erDef en d an t files req uest f or fo rm al r ules an d a fo rm alAns werDef en d an t does n ot pay claim an d do es n ot file Answ erPlain tiff filesAns werAns werAns werAns wer Plain tiff files Dismis sa l.ad mitsden iesd en ies clai mden ies clai m req uest for C ase closed .clai mclaimand r eq uestsa nd m akes default ch an ge o fcoun ter clai m judgment ven ueC ourt aw ar ds Ju dgm ent . Case cl osed .Plaintiff agrees or disag ree s w ith chan ge of ven ue req uest P lain tiff does no t req uest fo rm al rulesP lain tifffiles req uest fo r fo rm al rules an d files fo rm al Reply to coun ter - claimCourt may h o ld hea rin g. C ourt dec ides wher e ven ueC ase pro ce ed s und er fo rm alJu dgm ento rw il l be ru les Dismis sa l. C ase closed. Trial Ju dgm ent . Case C losed .Af ter ca se is clo sed , if ju d gm en t is no t paid vo lu nta ril y, p laintiff m ay beg in exec utio n pro ce dures. 5Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo kCh apter II HO W TO START A SM ALL CLAIM S C A SE A. BEFO RE YO U FIL E .You must a lwa ys ask the defend ant for wha t you want before you sue. It he lps if y our re que st is in wr itin g3 . Your probl em ma y be solved if the defenda nt d ecides to g ive you the mone y you are ow ed or return the persona l property ra ther t h an fa ce a law suit .It is not ex pe nsive to file a small claims acti on. How eve r, if you lose, y o u will lose y our court cost s, and you may also ha ve to pay the defe nda nt's court c osts . L awsuit s should not be used merely to har ass people .If you believe you have a good claim a nd can prove you r case , you sho uld file the suit . The quest ion you should ask y ourse lf is whe ther y ou can show the judge fac ts whic h will prove your case . The facts can come fr om you r own testimon y, the testim ony of other peopl e, documents, pictur es, a nd eve n the testim ony of the defend ant, whom you can call as a witness and fo rce to answ er que stions unde r oath.An importa nt thing to c onside r be for e you decide to sue someone to coll ect mone y is that the court will not actuall y give you your mone y if you win. All the cour t will give you is a Judgm en t statin g that yo u are enti tled to coll ect the mone y from the defe nda nt. If the defe nda nt do es not pay volunt aril y, you must use another court procedu re c all ed "ex ecuti on procedur e" to att empt to enf orce the Judgm en t. This proc edure will only be succ essful if the defenda nt ha s mone y or prope rty whic h can be seized to pa y the Judgm en t. For more information a bout ex ecuti on proc edure , ask the c o ur t cler k for a c op y of th e booklet Exec uti on Procedure for Judgm ent Cre ditors.B. FIL ING P ROCEDURE S. 1. Wh ere to File.Distric t Court Civil Rule 12 require s you to file y our case "a t a plac e whic h will not causeunne ce ssary ex pe nse o r inc onve nienc e to t he defe nda nt." It allows onl y th re e alt e rna ti ve s:a. The distric t court neare st whe re the defe nd ant live s or wor ks is alwa ys a pr ope r plac e to sue.b. If the de fe nda nt caused you persona l inj ury or damage d your prope rty, yo u can file suit where the inju ry or da ma ge occur red.c. If you are sui ng a busin ess, a n y plac e whe re it doe s or soli cit s busin ess is a prope r pla ce(f or ex ampl e: whe re it ha s a stor e or a n offic e or s ends sal esmen) .2. How to F il e .Ge t t he foll owing for ms from the c ourt or the web at ww w.courts.a laska .g o v/for ms.ht m: a. CO MPLAI NT (form S C-1)b. SU M MONS (for m S C-2 )c. AN SWER (f orm S C-3)F il l them out as ex pla ine d in secti on C below. If the court gives you an y c ards or env elopes, f ill t he m out as de sc rib ed in t he instruc tions provide d.3 In so m e ca se s th e law re q u ir es yo u to mak e a writte n req uest. Fo r ex am ple, th e statu te w hich crea tes civ il pen alties fo r issu in g bad ch eck s req uires th e p la in ti ff to mak e a w ritten d em an d (as def in ed in th e stat ute) fo r pay men t a t leas t 15 d ay s befo re f iling s uit. AS 09.6 8.1 15. Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k6F il e the compl ete d for ms at the prope r court. Pay the court fili ng fee ($40 for a case making a claim for $250 0 or less; $75 for a case making a claim for more than $2500) a n d servi ce of proce ss fe es (s ee sec tion D, p ag e 14) .C. HOW TO FIL L OUT TH E FO RM S.1. Complai ntSee the sampl e Co mplai nt fo rm ( SC -1) on the opposite pa ge. P lease ty pe or print whe n filling out t he f or m. Use black ink.aWrite the name of the city wh ere the court is l ocate d.b Write y our n am e. S ee N OTE ABOU T NAMES below.c Write defe nda nt's name . See NO TE A BOU T NA MES below.NO TE ABOU T NA MES : I t is very import ant to name the plainti ff and defenda nt cor rectl y . If you list the defend ant's name incor re ctl y, you may not be able to col le ct an y mone y eve n if you win your case .To decide how to li st the de fend ant' s name, first decide who is re sponsi ble for the inj ury to you. It ma y be a n indi vidual person or se ve ra l pe rsons or a busine ss or , pe rha ps, both a business and one or more indi viduals.If you decid e to sue more than one de fenda nt, you must name eac h de fe nda nt sepa rately . For ex ampl e, if you intend to sue both John Sm ith indi viduall y and XYZ c or por ati on, you must li st bot h as de fe nda nts and serve e ac h o f the m wit h a Su m mon s.Ex ampl e: JOH N R. S MITH, individua lly; and X YZ, INC., a n Alask a c or por ati on.If you dec ide to sue a business, y ou must find out whe ther the busine ss is a cor pora tion, a partnership, or anothe r for m of busine ss.You need to know this in orde r to name the business cor rectly on the Complai nt.1) PERS ONSYou must list a fi rst a nd last name for eac h pa rty. Inc lude middle name s or initials ifknown. Spelling must be acc ur ate.NO TE: If y ou w ant to sue a husba nd and wife , na me ea ch one s e p ara te ly and se rv e eac h with a Sum mon s. Do not na me the m "Mr. and Mrs...." .Exampl e: JE FF REY T . W IL SON and MARY J . WIL SON2) CH IL DR ENIf th e plainti ff or defen dant is unde r age 18, both the minor and a pa rent or gua rdi an must be named on the Co mplai nt4 . Distric t Co urt Civi l Rule 14 re quire s minors to app ear th ro ugh their parents or other gua rdia ns.Exampl e: TOM S MITH, a mi nor, thr ough his pare nt, J OHN R. S MIT H.NO TE: If y ou a re suin g both a mi nor and the mi nor' s pa rent, you must na me them separate ly :Ex ampl e: TOM S MITH, a mi nor, thr ough his pa rent, J OHN R. S MITH; a ndJO HN R. S MITH, indi vidua lly.4 This does no t ap ply to ch ild ren who hav e go ne t hro ug h co urt em an cip atio n pro ce ed ings und er A S 09 .5 5.5 90 or who ar e co nsid ered to hav e r ea ch ed the ag e of m ajo rit y und er A S 2 5.2 0.0 20 . 7Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo kIN TH E D IST RIC T CO U RT F O R T H E S TA TE O F ALA SK A AT a)b )) Plaint if f (s ), ))vs. )))c)CA SE NO . dSC) Defend ant(s ) ) )CO MPLA IN TPla int if f is a corp or ation t hat has pai d its t axes due t he st ate and fil ed its requ ir e d r epor ts.e is no t a cor por ation.D ef end ant is i nde bted t o th e pl ain tif f in t he p rin ci pal am ount of $ fplus i nt eres t and cour t co sts as a re su lt of gw hi ch o ccur red at or near , Alas ka, on or abou t . hPlaint if f ha s de manded r e lie f f r om the d ef endan t, but d ef en da nt ha s f ai led to compl y. Pl aint if f r eq ues ts sm all cl aim s pr ocedu re, giv es up the rig ht to a jur y tr ial and f or mal procedu re in thi s case , and w aiv es al l of th is cla im whi ch exce eds$10,000. If the cour t en te rs an orde r appl ying the fo rm al Rul es of Civ il Proc edurerat her th an the Dis tr ic t C ou rt C iv il R ules to thi s act ion, th is w aiv er sha ll be nul l an d voi d. T hi s ac tion is fil ed at a co urt w hich will not caus e unne ce ssar y exp ense or incon veni enc e to the de fe ndant a nd is t he co urt n ear est t o: ( C heck appl ic abl e boxes.)i the r e siden ce o r pl ace of em pl oym ent of def enda nt. wher e per sona l in ju ry or pr op erty dam age occu rred. wher e the d efenda nt do es or so lic its bu sines s.Pri nt N am e and T it le ( if ap plicab le)j Dat e Plaint if f (S ig nat ure)Ma il ing Add re ss City State ZIPH om e Phone Work PhoneInst ruct ions :If you are fil ing docum ents supp orting your claim (for exa mpl e:k prom iss or y not es, check s, rece ipt s, bills) , you must also attach a copy of ea chdocum ent f o r ea ch defen dant.SC -1 ( 5/1 2)(s t. 3) Dist. Ct. C iv . R . 1 0(a) an d 12(a) COM PLA INT AS 22 .1 5.0 4 0 Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k83) BUS INESS NOT A CO RPORAT IONI f a busine ss is not a c or por ati on, list the na me of the own er( s), d/b/ a (doi ng busine ssas) and the n ame of the business.Ex ampl e: JO HN J . M IL LER d/ b/a John's Re co rd ShopIf you do not know the na me of the owne r(s) o r the ex act name of the bu siness, you may be able to get t his i nformation b y call in g or w riting to:De par tm en t of Com merce , Co mmun ity Juneau p h on e: 465-2550& Ec onom ic De velop men t Anchorage p h on e: 269-8160Occup at ion al L icen si ng Div ision .P. O. B ox 110806Juneau , Alas ka 99811 -0 806The followin g is a va ilab le to the publi c: na me of owne r, name of busine ss, busine ss license number , ty pe o f business licensed to do an d maili ng addr ess. This info rmation from the D epa rtmen t of Comm erc e, Comm unity & Economi c D ev elopm ent ma y also be ava ilable at yo ur loc al li br ary .4) UNINCORP ORATED ASS OCI ATIO NIf the plainti ff or defe n da nt is a n unincor porated associa ti on, list the name of theassoci ati on a nd iden tif y it as a n uninco rpor ated a ssoci ati on.Ex ampl e: BL UE R ID GE CON DOMIN IUM A SS OC IAT IO N, an unincor porated a ssoci ati on5) PARTNE RSH IPI f an y pa rty is a p artne rs hip, list the name of the partne rship (or if the re is no name,list t he names of the partners) a nd it s identit y as a partne rship.Exampl es: a) CENT URY A PARTMENT PR OPERTIES, a pa rtne rship b) MICHA EL G. M ILLER, MARY T. M IL LER andGEO RGE R. SM ITH, p artne rs in a n unna med part ne rship6) CORP ORAT IONI f a busin ess is a cor por ati on, you must list the name of the busin ess a nd ide ntif y it asa cor por ati on.Ex ampl e: W ORL D FIS H CAN NERY, INC., a cor por ati onTo find out if a busine ss is a cor pora tion and the na me and add ress of th e reg istere d age nt and officers, conta ct:De par tm en t of Com merc e , Co mm un ity & Eco n om ic D eve lopm en tP . O. B ox 11080 8Juneau , Alas ka 99811 -0 808June au phone : (907) 465-2530Anchorage phone :(907) 269-8173For co rpor ati on info rmat ion a vailable on the web, yo u ma y go to: htt p://m yalas ka.state .ak.u s/bu siness/ . Rea d the instructi ons for searc hing th e Cor pora tions Da taba se . d Leave blank. The c ou rt c ler k will write the c ase number here . eCh eck the c orre c t box . 9Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo kf Write the a mount the defenda nt ow es you. Be sure to writ e the full a mount owed eve n if it is ove r $10, 000. As ex plain ed late r on the for m, you will have to g ive up your claim to an y amoun t ove r $10,000, but it is importa nt to state the full a mount on this line so the judg e will unde rstand your claim.If you are seekin g statu tory pena lties (for ex ampl e, ba d che ck pe nalties unde r AS09.68.115 or pena lties for failur e to refund a tena nt's se cur it y deposit unde r AS34.03.070( d), e tc. ) you must st ate tha t in your c omplaint.If you are asking for the re turn of pe rson al pr op ert y, you must state on this line the approx imate value of the prope rty. The c ourt needs to know th is in orde r to be sure it has jurisdi cti on (a uthorit y) to he ar th e case in small claims court. If you want the prope rty ra ther than mone y, be sur e to state thi s cle arly . B e awa re, how eve r, tha t if the pr op erty is gone a nd cannot be re cov ere d, the on ly thing the court will be a ble to give you is a judgment f or mone y da ma ges.If you are afr aid the defe nda nt may dispose of the it e m you seek an d it is very importa nt to you that yo u get that ex ac t item, yo u ma y wa nt to conside r contac ting a lawy er. Discu ss with the lawyer the a dvisabilit y of filing a for mal c ivi l suit inst ead of a small claim so you can (1) a tt empt to have the it em seiz ed prior to trial (p re judg ment att a chment) or (2) ask the judge for a pre jud gment restra inin g or de r re quiring the defenda nt not to dispo se of the item. These re medie s are not ava il a b le prior to judgment in a small cl aims ca se.g On these line s brief ly describe why the de fenda nt owe s you mone y (or person al prope rty ).h Read the f irst two s enten ces in t his par ag ra ph a nd be sure you a gree with the m.i Read the sente nce and the n ch eck one or mor e of the boxes. In thi s se c ti on you are aff irmi ng that y ou have c ompl ied with the rule describe d on page 5 about where small claims case s c an be filed.j Fil l in all the blanks in this secti on. P rint eve ry thi ng ex cept you r sig nature. The cha rt on the foll owing pa ge sh ows w ho must si gn the Com plai nt.k Attach to the compl aint an y do cuments which support your claim (for ex ampl e:c anc ell ed c hecks, bill s, promissor y notes, etc. ). Y ou must attac h:1) the or iginal (or a cop y) f or the c ourt and2) a cop y for eac h d efe nd an t.If you do not want to att ach your ori ginals, you ca n att a ch copies. How eve r, be a wa re that in some case s you will have to giv e the co ur t the orig inal doc umen t be fore the court c an give you a ju dg ment (for ex ampl e: pr omi ssor y notes, NSF che cks, etc.) Fa il ur e to att ach ade qu ate supporting documenta tion may dela y the proc ess ing of your case . Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k10Who Mus t Sig n the Co mpla int If Pla in tiff is:The Com plai nt M ust be Sign ed by the Lawye rReprese ntin g th e Plain tiff or, if N one, by :An indivi dual pe rsonTha t per sonTwo or more p ersonsEa ch pe rsonA minorA pa rent or g u ardi anA pe rson doin g busine ss unde r a n assu med busine ss nameTha t per sonAn uninc orpora te d a ssoci ati onA person authoriz ed in writing by the cha rte r, bylaw s o r gove rnin g bod y of the a ssocia tionThe written autho rizati on must be filed with the Compla in t, and the pe rson si gnin g mu st a lso li st his or he r ti tl e or position in t he associa tion.A pa rtne rshipOne of the partn ersA cor por ati on or a limi ted liabil ity compan yOne of the offic ers or , for a limi ted liabili ty compan y, a manag ing memberoran empl oyee autho rized in writing (The wr itten au thoriz ati on must be filed with the C om plai nt and must be signed by a cor pora te of fic er, a man ag in g membe r of a limi ted liabil ity compan y, or be a re solu tion of the board of dire ctors of the corpora tion.)The person signin g must also li st his or her titl e or positi on in the cor por ati on or the lim ited li abil ity compan y. 11Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k2. Su m mon s (for m S C -2)You must fil l out a sepa ra te Su m mon s fo r ea ch defe nda nt. F il l out only th e top of the f or m. On linesa , b , a ndcof eac h Su m mon s wr ite the same things you wrote on these line s on the C om plai nt. L eave the case number li ne blank.Secti on dis for the de fe nda nt's na me and addre ss. If yo u are goi ng to have the Sum mon s se rv ed on the de fend ant by ce rtifie d mail, use the defe nda nt's pe rson al maili ng addre ss. If you want the S u m mon s se rv ed by a pr ocess serv er, you must pr ovide servic e instructions for the process ser ver. Se e pa ge 14 about s erving the S um mon s.IN TH E D IS T R ICT C OURT F OR THE S TA TE OF A LAS KA A T ab ) Plaintiff(s) ))vs. ))c)CASE NO . SC Defend ant(s) ) )SUMMON STO: ADDRE SS : dAdditional i nf or mation about how to a ddress the Su m mon s: If the d efe nda nt is a:a . PERS ONBe sure to use the defe nda nt's pe rson al addr ess and not the defe nd ant 's w or k addr ess. Thisis espe cial ly im porta nt if you w ant t he Su m mon s se rve d b y certifi ed mail.b. MIN ORThe minor and the mi nor's pa rent or leg al gu ard ian must eac h be se rve d with a se pa rateSu m mon s:Ex ampl e: (a ssumin g Tom Smi th i s a minor) :1st Su m mon sTO:Tom Smi th, a minor(addre ss)2nd Su m mon sTO:John R. S mi thPare nt of Tom Smi th, a minor(addre ss) Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k12c . BUS INESS NOT A CORPORAT IONThe Su m mon s must be addre ssed to the ow ner of the busine ss.Exampl e: TO:John J. Mi ller, O wne r John' s Recor d S hop (addre ss)d. UN INCOR PORATED ASS OCI ATIO NThe Su m mon s must be addre ssed to one of the fol lowing :1) an of fic er, or2) a mana gin g or g en era l a gent, or3) an y oth er person authoriz ed b y appoint ment or by law to re ceive s ervi ce of proc ess.Ex ampl es: TO: Bob Bla ck, P residentBlue Ridge Condom inium Assoc iationorTO: Bett y W hit e, Ma nag erTundr a S portsme n's Ass ociatione. PARTNE RSHIPThe Su m mon s must be addre ssed to one of the fol lowing :1) one of the gen era l partne rs, or2) a mana gin g or g en era l a gent of the part nership , or3) an y oth er ag ent author ized b y appoint ment or by la w to rec eive s ervi ce of pr oc ess, or4) a pe rson h avin g control of the business of the p artne rship.Exampl es: TO: Mike Miller, Ge nera l P artner Centur y Ap artmen t P rop erties (addre ss)orTO: Joe Carter, Manag erCe ntu ry Ap artmen t Prop erties(a ddre ss)f. LIMITED LI ABIL ITY C OMPAN YThe Su m mon s must be addre ssed to one of the fol lowing :1) The re g is te re d a gent, or2) a mana gin g membe r, or3) a mana gin g or g en era l a gent of the limited li abil ity compan y, or4) an y oth er ag ent author ized b y appoint ment or by la w to rec eive s ervi ce of pr oc ess. (S ee, f or exa mple, Alas ka S tatute 10.50.065( b) abou t limited l i ab ility c ompan ies .)Exampl es: TO: Robert Adam sRe gist ere d A gent fo r B la ckstone I nve stm ents, LLC (addre ss)orTO: Greg Jone s, Manag ing M ember Blac kstone Inv est m ents, LL C (addre ss)See pa ge 8 parag ra ph (c)( 6) for info rmation abo ut how to find the names of the regist ere d age nt and officers. 13Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo kg . CORP ORATIONThe Su m mon s must be addre ssed to one of the fol lowing :1) The re g is te re d a gent, or2) an of fic er, or3) a mana gin g or g en era l a gent of the cor po ration, or4) an y oth er ag ent author ized b y appoint ment or by la w to rec eive s ervi ce of pr oc ess.(See , for exa mple, Al ask a Stat ute 10.06.17 5(b) ab out cor por ation s and AS21.09.180- .190 about in suran ce c o m pan ies.)Ex ampl es: TO: Tom JonesRegist ere d A gent fo r Wor ld Fish C anne ry , Inc .(addre ss)orTO: Sall y Smi th, P re sidentW orld F ish Canne ry , Inc .(addre ss)orTO: Bill B row n, M ana gerW orld F ish Canne ry , Inc .(addre ss)See pa ge 8 parag ra ph (c)( 6) for info rmation abo ut how to find the names of the regist ere d age nt and officers. Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k143. AN SWER ( for m S C -3 )F il l out onl y the top of th e Answ er for m as shown below. F il l i n li nes a , b a nd cthe same way you filled in these line s on your Complai nt. L eave the case number lineblank.Fil l out a sepa ra te Answ er for m for ea ch de fe nda nt.IN TH E D IST RIC T CO U RT FO R TH E S TA TE O F A LA SK A AT a)b ) Plaint if f (s ). ))vs. ))c)CA SE NO . SC) Def end ant(s) ) )AN SWE R, C OUNTER CLA IM, RE QU ES T FO R CH A N GE O F PLACE O F TRIA L D. HO W TO GIV E NO TICE T O A SM ALL C LAI MS D EFENDAN T. The foll owin g must be se rved on (deli ve re d to) ea ch defe nda nt to noti fy th e de fe nda nt a bout t he ca se :1. the S um mon s addr essed to the defenda nt2. a cop y of the Co mpla in t plus a cop y of an y supp orting document s filed with th eCo mplai nt3. an Answ er for m4. the Small C laims H andbo ok fu rnished b y the c our tIn case s b eing heard by a ma gist rate, defe nda nts can onl y be se rve d if they are with in the State of Al aska. The only ex cept ions to thi s rule are : (1) ou t- of -sta te landlor ds ma y be s e rve d outsi de Alaska under th e L andlord -Te nant Ac t (A S 34. 03.340) , and (2) an out -of -state person who owns or ope rates a mot or vehicle invol ved in an ac cident in Ala ska may be serve d as de sc ribe d in AS 09.05.020.In case s be ing he ard by a dist rict court judge, de fend ants may be se rve d out -of-state . If you need to se rve defe nd ants who are outsi de the United Stat es, plea se s e e S ecti on 5 c. of How to Serve a Summ ons (C IV- 106) for fu rthe r inf ormati on.The re are two methods of se rvic e:1. Certifi ed Ma il.The court fee for se rvic e b y c ertifi ed mail is $4 .00 for e a ch de fend ant se rv ed. You must also pr ovide a 9 "x 12" e nve lope , filled- out posta l se rvi ce for ms for ce rtifie d mai l, and enou gh post age on the e nv elope to cove r the postal fees for ce rtifie d mail, restrict ed deli ve ry and a re tu rn rec eipt . Ask the court for the SC -90 Instruc tions a b out how to fill out the posta l fo rms and enve lope. When you fill out the maili ng forms and the envelope, be sure to use the sa me name, title and addre ss for the defenda nt a s y ou wrote on the Sum mon s. 15Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k2. Persona l Servic e b y Pro cess S erve r.a. Choose a proc ess server fr om the court c ler k's li st. You can also find a li st of licensed process servers on the Alaska State Troop er websi te : ww w.dps.state .ak. us/S tatewide /Permits Lic ensin g Cl ic k on “Civi li a n Proc ess Serve r List .” If ther e are no private pr oc ess se rv ers in yo ur are a, pe ac e offic ers (usua lly State Troope rs) will serve proc ess. If the defe nd ant is out -o f-state , pe rsona l se rvic e b y a pr oc ess se rv er must be made by a pe ace of ficer or a licensed proc ess se rv er in that state . To locate a pe ace of fic er in another state, conta ct y our local troop ers or call the troope rs’ Judici al S ervi ces offi ces in Anc horage a t ( 907) 264-0699.b. F il l out Service In str uctions (using eit he r the court form CIV -615 or the proc ess serve r's or troop er's fo rm ). L ist the documents to be serve d and desc ribe whe re the defenda nt can be found .c. P ay the pr ocess se rver 's fees to the process se rver or troop er. F ees are se t b y the individual proc ess serv er. How ev er, th e max imum amount you may recove r as costs from the d ebtor is gov erne d by Admini strati ve Rule 11. Th e c u rr en t amount recove rable is $45.00 for eac h person on whom se rvi ce is mad e plus a mi nim um of$20.00 for the fi rst 25 miles or portion there of tra veled. Addit iona l a mou nts ma y be recov ere d fo r extra mi lea ge or e xtra time spe nt serving the doc uments.NO TE: If the defe nd ant is a mi nor, the doc ument s must be se rve d on the minor by a proc ess se rver or pol ic e of fic er. T he c o pies f or the pa rent or gua rdia n may , how ev er, be s e rve d b y certifie d mail.E. NOTIF ICATI ON TH AT T HE DO CUM ENTS WE RE SERV ED OR NO T SERV ED.If you use c ertifie d m ail , the court will notify you whe ther or not e a ch de fe nda nt wa s se rv ed. I f yo u us e a pr oc ess serve r, the proc ess s e rve r will give you a " R eturn of Service " fo rm telli ng you whether the d efe nd ant w as ser ved.If a de fe nd ant wa s not se rv ed, you must re turn to the court to arra nge to ha ve the defenda nt served b y anoth er me ans.F . DE FE NDANT 'S RE SPO NSE.If the d efe nda nt is se rv ed with the papers, you mu st wait to see if he fil e s a n Answ er.1. No Ans wer.If the defend ant doe s not file an Answ er withi n 20 da ys (40 d ay s if the de fe nda nt was serv ed outsi de the Unite d State s) a ft er he is se rv ed, you may ask the c ou rt to e nter a d efa ult judgment in your favo r. F il l out form SC -8, Defau lt Affid avit an d Re qu est f or Ju dgm en t (ava il a ble at your local court) . Note that if the defe nd ant has a vali d ex cuse for filing lat e, the court may all ow the de fenda nt to file an Ans wer eve n afte r the 20 days (40 days if th e defenda nt wa s se rve d out side the United State s) have passed if the court has not yet ente red the defa ult judgment.In addit ion to filing form SC -8, you may also ha ve to give the court a ddi ti ona l info rmation. For ex ampl e, if the documents att ache d to your compl iant do not full y prove the dollar amount of y our claim, the court m ay ha ve to hold a he ari ng to establis h the amount of money y ou are owe d.Also, if y our c ase is to coll ect a pr omi ssory note, NSF che ck or other nego ti able instrume nt, you must giv e the cour t the original note or che ck or other document if you have not alread y don e so. The rules require the court to canc el such instrume nts befor e judgment may be enter ed. Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k16If the defend ant is a pe rson under age 18, a pe rso n in the acti ve mi li t a ry se rvic e, or ment all y incompetent pe rson, you may not be able to obt ain a de fa ult judgment beca use ther e a re special law s prot ecti ng the se persons. Th ese law s ma y re quir e the appoint ment of a la w yer or g u ardi an f or the defe n da nt at you r e xpe nse o r ma y pr eve nt you f rom ge tt ing a de fa ul t.2. Ans wer on f orm SC -3.B y fili ng his Answ er on form SC -3, the defe nd ant has a g re ed to the use of Distric t CourtCivi l Rules in h is ca se.a. I f the defe nda nt's Answ er state s th at he a g re es he ow es y ou mone y, th e co ur t will enter a judg ment in y ou r fa vo r. As state d in se cti on 1 above , if you are suin g to coll ect a negoti abl e ins trume nt, you must give the orig inal to the cou rt be fore th e court will giv e you your jud gment.b. If th e de fe nda nt's Answ er de nies that he owe s yo u the mone y or state s a c ounter claim, the c ourt will se t the m att er for tria l and noti fy yo u and the defe nd ant in writing of th e place, d ate and ti me of th e trial.c . Counter claim. If th e de fe nda nt's SC -3 Answ er f or m state s a counter cla im aga inst y ou, the counter claim will be he ard alon g with you r or iginal c laim a t the trial. If the defe nda nt's c ounter claim is for more than $10,00 0, the de fend ant must w aive (g ive up) his claim to the a mount over $10,000 if he wants to keep the case in small c laims court. (See Secti on 3 of the An swer fo rm, S C-3.)As long as the case re ma ins in small claims court, you do not have to file a re pl y to the counter claim. Th e c ourt will c onside r it de nied and set it for trial. Distric t Court Civil Rule 13(a ). Note that if the defend ant files a fo rmal answe r inst ead of a small claims Answer and the forma l answ er in cludes a c ount erc laim, you must file a repl y to the counter claim. S ee se cti on 3 be low.When y ou se e that the de fenda nt has include d a counter claim in his small claims Answer, you ma y decid e you would ra ther hav e the whole c ase (both c laims) heard under the formal rule s inst ead of the Distric t Court Civil Rule s. You have 10 days fr om the da te the defe nd ant 's Answ er is mailed to yo u to make this re que st. The court will not a ssi st y ou in prepa ring this requ est or an y other document for fo rma l pr oc edur es. No for ms are av ail able. You ma y want to talk to a law yer for assi stan ce. If you make this re que st for fo rma l proc edur es, a ll prior w aiv ers of couns el, jury trial, and amount s in ex cess of small cla im s jurisdi cti on will no long er be in effe ct. Th e case becom es a whole ne w c ase und er dif fere nt rul es. Distric t Court Civil Rule 10(c).d. Ch ang e of pla ce of trial. If the de fe nda nt's Ans wer re qu ests a cha nge of plac e of trial, the court will send you a noti ce a nd give you a cha nce to respond to the re que st. You ca n oppose the move by se nding Plai ntif f's Respon se to Req u est f or Cha nge of P la ce of T rial (form SC -5) to the c ourt withi n 20 days from the date the co ur t mails the defe nda nt's Ans wer to y ou. The court will consi der both p artie s' stat eme nts and decide where the t rial wil l be held. You will be noti fied of the court 's de cisi on. 17Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k3. For mal Answ er and Req uest for F orm al R ulesIf the defe nda nt (1) decide s to ask for the formal Rules of Civi l P ro ce dure inste ad of the District Court Civil Rule s or (2) ha s a c ounte rc la im in e x cess of $10,000 and doe s not want to wa ive th e ex cess, the defenda nt cannot use the SC -3 Ans wer for m pr ovi ded by the cou rt. Inste ad, the defend ant must within 20 da ys (40 days if defe nda nt was se rve d outsi de th e United States) :a. file with the court (1) a wr itten reque st for the form al rul es a nd (2) a for mal a nswe r to the compl ain t; a ndb. serve a cop y of the se doc uments on you; andc. file w ith the c ourt pr oof that the doc uments were se rve d on you.If the defe nd ant re qu ests for mal rules, the c ou rt will gra nt th e re que st an d se nd you a c op y of the Order For F or mal Pro ced u re . At this point , Distric t Court Civil Rule s no longer app ly . T he cou rt doe s not provide forms or othe r assi stan ce in case s pro cee di ng unde r the formal r ules. Y ou shoul d talk to a la wyer for a ss istanc e.Note , how eve r, that if the defenda nt's for mal answe r inc lude s a c ounter claim ag ainst y ou , you must file a re pl y to that counter claim (and serve a c op y of your re pl y on the defenda nt) within 20 days aft er you are se rv ed with the defenda nt' s ans wer. Civi l Rul e 12. If you fa il to do so, a defa ult judg ment may be e nte re d ag ainst you on the counter claim. This is differe nt from the Distr ict Court Civil Ru les (w hich do not re quire y ou to repl y to a counter claim). S ee se cti on 2.c . above .G. CH ANGE O F AD DRES S AND TELEPH O NE NUMBER.If you cha nge your maili ng addre ss a nd teleph one number while the case is pending you must notify both the c ourt an d the defenda nt. The court will conside r that you have re ceiv ed all documents mailed to yo u at the addr ess you furnished. Distric t Court Civi l Rule 11( d). You may file a Noti ce of Chan ge of Add ress (for m TF -955), to notif y the c ourt of the cha nges.H. SETTL EM ENT PRIOR TO T RIAL .If at a n y time prior to trial the c laim is se tt led betwe en you and th e de fe n da nt, y ou must file aDism issal (form SC -9) .1. If the claim is se tt led before the defe nda nt files his Ans wer, you must sign the portion entitled Dismiss al b y Pla int iff.2. If the claim is settled aft er the de fe nda nt files his Ans wer, both y ou and the de fend ant must sign the por ti on e ntitled Sti pulation for Dismissal. Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k18Cha pter III WHAT TO DO IF SO M EO NE SUES YO U IN SMALL C L AI M S C O URT If someone sues y ou in s mall c laims court, you are call ed the defendant. The person suing you is call ed the plainti ff. You must be given a cop y of the Compla in t, a Su m mon s, an Ans wer for m and th is bookle t.A small claim is not a c rimina l acti on. The plaintiff is not s e eking to h ave you put in jail. The plaintiff mer ely wa nts pay m ent of mone y or r etu rn of p ersona l prop ert y from you.A. WH AT TO DO IF YOU ARE SERVED WI TH A S UMMONS AND COM PL AINT .Never sim ply ign ore the Co mplai nt. If you do, a de fault judg ment may be ente red aga inst you upon re q u est of the plainti ff. The n, if you do not pay thi s jud gment, the plainti ff ma y get other c ourt orde rs all owing se izur e of your mone y or prope rty. If thi s ha ppe ns, ther e will be extra c osts which y ou will ha ve to pa y.You have 20 days (40 da ys if you were se rve d outsi de the United State s) aft er you re ce ive th e Su m mon s to file y our Answ er with the court. A nyti me aft er that 20 days (40 days if y ou were serv ed outsi de the United S tate s), the plainti ff c an ask the court for a de fa ult judgment ag ainst you.Ea ch de fe nda nt must file an Answ er. Do not rely on someo ne else 's Ans wer. If you are named as a de fe nd ant in the Complai nt, you mus t file an Ans wer. S ee the cha rt on pag e 1 9 for who must si gn the Answ er.Re ad the Com plai nt c a re full y. Try to re memb er ev ery thi ng you can about the incide nt or transa cti on whic h caus ed the plainti ff to sue yo u. Althoug h you must file y o ur Answ er with in20 days (40 days if you were s e rve d outsi de the United Stat es), you may want to w ait a fe w days be fore a nswe ring so that an y surp rise, an ge r or dism ay yo u ma y be fee ling has gone awa y. Take time to make sure y o ur Ans wer is a clea r a nd dire ct re sponse to the plainti ff's claim. B e sure to inc lude an y count erc laims you have aga inst the plaintiff. I f you want to talk to a la w yer, do so right aw ay so the re is ample time to f ile y ou r Answ er with t he c ourt. 19Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo kWho Must Sign the AnswerIf Defe n dan t is:The Answ er Mu st be Signed by the Lawye r Repre senti n g the De fendan t or, i f None, by :An indivi dual pe rsonTha t per sonTwo or more p ersonsEa ch pe rsonA minorA pa rent or g u ardi anA pe rson doin g busine ss unde r a n assu med busine ss nameTha t per sonAn unincor porate d associ ati onA person authoriz ed in writing by the c ha rte r, bylaw s orgove rnin g bod y of the a ssocia tionThe written authoriz ati on must be filed with the Answ er, and the p erson signin g must also list his title or posit ion in the associa tion.A lim it e d li abil ity comp an yOne of the manag ing member s oran emp lo yee author iz ed in writing (The writ ten authoriz ati on must be filed with t he Answ er.)The person s ig nin g must a lso l ist his t itl e and positi on in the limited li abil ity comp an y.A pa rtne rshipOne of the gene ra l pa rtne rsA cor por ati onOne of the offic ers or an emp lo yee author iz ed in writing (The writ tenauthoriz ati on must be filed with t he Answ er.)The person sig ning must also li st his title and posit ion in the corpor ati on.B . IF YOU AGREE WIT H W HAT T HE P LAINT IFF S AYS .1. If you ag re e with what the plainti ff sa ys, you may want to contac t the plaint iff to s e tt le the matter betwe en yours elves. If y ou settle the matter with the plainti ff, the small c laims c ase ca n be dismisse d. A Dis miss al for m (SC -9) must be sig ned and filed with the court by the plaintiff.2. If you agr ee with what th e plaint iff says but have not settled the claim with the plaintiff , you should mar k the box on the Answ er for m that sa y s: "I ag re e with what the plainti ff claims." DO NOT FILL IN ANY OTHER BOXES ON THI S FOR M. Da te and sign the form. Keep one cop y. Return the orig inal and one c o p y to t he c ourt within 20 days from the date you r e ce iv ed the S u m mon s. The plainti ff w il l be a wa rded a judg ment in the a mount claimed plus c osts and in te re st. Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k20If you want to enc lose paym ent of the plaint iff 's claim, conta ct the c ou rt to find out the amount you should add for costs and intere st. If yo u do not pay thi s ad de d amount as w ell as the principa l amount claimed, the court may en ter a judg ment ag ainst y o u for the amount yo u have not yet pa id. Make your che ck pa yabl e to "Cle rk of Court ", an d writ e your case number on your c heck.C. IF YOU DO NOT AG REE WIT H WH AT THE PLAIN TIF F S AYS.If you disa gree with what the plaintiff sa ys, you must file an Ans wer with the court. F irst, decide whethe r you want the Distric t Court Civil Rule s or the formal civi l rule s to appl y to your case . S ee the discussi on of this que stion in para gr aph 1.d. below. If you want the Distric t Court Civil Rule s, fill out the enc losed SC -3 An sw er fo rm as e x plain ed in paragr aph 1 below. If you want the formal civi l rul es, y ou must dr aft a for mal ans wer as de scrib ed in parag ra ph 2 below. You may not use the S C -3 Ans wer for m. If you want to talk to a law yer to help y ou decide what to do, you must do it quickl y beca u se y ou must file eit he r your SC -3 Ans wer or yo ur for mal c ivil ans wer withi n 20 da ys (40 d ay s if you we re ser ved outsi de the U nited S tate s).1. SC -3 Answ er.a . Type o r pr int neatl y. U se blac k ink. b. Secti on 1: Answer1) If you believe yo u owe the plainti ff nothi ng or onl y pa rt of the amount claimed, mark the box that s a y s: "I ow e the plainti ff " and then mark the box tha t sa ys "Nothin g" or wr ite the amount you feel you owe the plainti ff and the re a son why. Remembe r to state wh y yo u do not owe the plain ti ff the amount claimed. In abi lit y to pay is not a le ga l def ense to a claim.2) If you believ e the plaint iff owe s you, mark the box that sa y s "Counte rcla im " a nd state the amount the plaint iff owe s and the reason why.c. Secti on 2: R eque st for Change of Pla ce of T rial.If yo u be lieve the trial sh ould be held in another locati on, compl ete secti on 2. You may reque st a c ha nge o f plac e of tria l if y ou will be put to unne ce ssary e x pe nse or inconvenienc e if the trial is held whe re the case is filed. You may also reque st a c ha nge in the plac e of tr ial if th e Co mplai nt wa s filed in a court loca ti on whic h is neit he r:1) the r esidenc e or pla ce of empl oyment of an y de fe nda nt, nor2) whe re a def enda nt's a ll ege d wr ongful conduc t cau se d da mag e to plainti ff's pr ope rty,nor3) whe re any de fe nda nt doe s or solic its busi ness.If you re que st a ch an ge of place of trial, the court will notif y the plaintiff of y our reque st. T he plaint iff will be given 20 da ys to re spond. The court will conside r both partie s' state ments and decide whe re the trial wil l be held. You will be n oti fied of the court 's dec ision.d. Secti on 3: S mall Claims Elec tion.The plaint iff has chos en small c laims proc ed ur es. Ho weve r, you do not have to acc ept small claims procedur es. You may choose f o rma l rule s ins tead.Plea se re ad the c hart on page 3 for a compa rison of these two pr ocedur es.If y ou si gn a nd re turn the Answ er for m (S C-3) , y ou ha ve c hosen small c laims procedur es. S ee p aragr aph 2 be low f or wh at t o do if you w ant for mal r ules ins tead. 21Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo ke . Fil l in the line s at the bot tom of the form and sign it . Be sur e to include yo ur ti tl e if y o u are ans we ring fo r a busin ess def end ant.If you have do cuments supporting your c laim (for ex amp le : c he cks, receipts, bills), you must att ache d them to the Answ er. Attac h a cop y for the court and cop y for th e plaintiff .Re turn the origin al and one cop y of the Answ er to the court. Ke ep on e cop y for your reco rds.f. Trial Da te.If you file a n SC -3 Ans wer disagr eeing with the plainti ff's claims, the co ur t will se t the matter for trial and noti fy yo u and the plainti ff in writing of the plac e, da te and time of the trial.2. For mal Ru les Election.If you want the formal rules of civi l pr oc edu re to appl y to your case inst ead of the Distri ct Court Civi l Rule s, you cannot use the S C -3 Answ er for m pr ovided by the court. Inste ad yo u must:a. file with the court (1) a wr itten reque st for forma l rule s and (2) a for mal a nswe r to the compl aint in co mpli anc e with Civi l R ules 7 through 16, 76 a nd 77; andb. serve a cop y of the se doc uments on the plaintiff; andc. file w ith the c ourt pr oof that the doc uments were se rve d on the pl ain tif f.You must do all thi s wit hin 20 days (40 days if you were se rve d outs ide the United State s) afte r you re c eive the Su m mon s and Complai nt or risk havin g a d efa ult judg ment ent ere d aga inst you.The cou rt doe s not prov ide forms for your answ er or y our requ est for for mal pr oc edur e. The cou rt c annot he lp you pr epa re your an swe r or give you an y other assis tanc e onc e y ou have r e que sted the for mal rule s. The c ourt will autom ati call y gr ant your reque st and send you a n O rd er f or For mal P ro ced u re . If you ne ed a ssistanc e, you must c ontact a law yer.D. CHANGE O F AD DRES S A ND TELEPH O NE NU MBER.If you ch an ge your maili ng addr ess while the case is pending , you must not if y both the court and the plainti ff. Th e co ur t will conside r that y ou have re c eived all doc uments mailed to y ou at the addre ss you furnish ed. Distric t Court Civil R ule 11(d) . You may use form TF -955, Notic e of Chan ge of Add ress to noti fy the c ourt of the chang es. Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo k22Cha pter IV PREP ARI NG FOR TRIAL Onc e the Complai nt an d Answ er a re filed, most small claims case s are r e ad y fo r trial. The cou rtwill send you a Not ice of Trial (SC -11). This notice tells you whe n an d ex actl y whe re the casewill be tried. M ak e a careful note of the trial date and time . You must appe ar on that date and beprepa re d to p rese nt your side of the dispute. If the plainti ff fa il s to appear at the tr ial, the c ou rt m aydism iss the case . If th e plainti ff is ther e and the de fend ant fail s to a ppe ar, the court may grant ade fault judg ment a gainst the de fe nd ant. Distric t Court Civil Rule 17.A. COLLECT EVIDENC E.The most im porta nt thing to do whil e wa iting for trial is to g et your evid enc e to geth er. Coll ect an y pa pe rs, legal do cume nts, photog ra phs o r other physic al e viden ce supp orting your claim and bring them to you r tria l. Ex ampl es of such evi de nc e are : c ontra cts, bill s of sa le, receipt s, canc ell ed che cks, a lette r fr om the other party, a cop y of a mon ey orde r, a bil l for re pa irs, an esti mate of re pa ir c osts (in autom obile ac cident case s y ou a re like ly to need more than one estimat e), c lot hing , a sm all a ppli anc e whic h doe s not work (a toaste r or ra dio or ev en a small outboard mot or), pictur es of larger it ems such as a da ma ged car or boa t or an acc ident scene , etc.B. CONTACT WITNESSE S.W it ne sses are another s o ur ce of e videnc e. Ex amp le s a re : a p erson who sa w y our accident, a person who overheard st ateme nts made to you by the other part y, a pe rson who s a w dama ged goods when the y we re first de li ve red, the pe rso n who sold you something or ac cepted your paym ent.S ometim es y ou may wa nt to have a witness such as a mec hanic or appl ia n ce re pa irma n tell the judge ho w much somethi ng is damag ed or whe ther it is defecti ve . S uc h a witness should have a cha nce to see the thi ng he is to talk a bout bef ore he testifies.Bring your witness es wit h you to the trial. I f all you have is a wr itten statement fr om a w it ne ss, the jud ge ma y consid er it. How eve r, the written state ment m ay not be very valuable eviden ce at the trial beca use the judg e and the other pa rty will not be able to que stion the absent witness about t he written state ment.C. SUBP OENA WIT NESSE S IF NE CESSARY .If you beli eve a witness may not come when you ask, y ou should have a subpoe na issued by th e court. A subpoe na is a c ourt orde r re qui ring a pe rson to a ppe ar and testif y in c ourt. If you do not subpoe na a witness and the witness does not a pp ear at trial, y ou will be re quir ed to pr ese nt yo ur side of the case without that witness. P ostpone ments of trial at the last minute are not usually all ow ed.A subpo ena ma y be se rv ed by certifie d mail throu gh th e court or by a li c en se d pr oc ess se rve r, a police of fic er or a pe rson ag e 18 or ov er who is not a pa rty in the case . Y ou must a tt ach to the subpoena a witness fe e of $12.50 if it wil l take 3 hours or less of the witness' ti me to att e nd the trial (inc luding tra vel time) . Attac h $25 if it will take more than 3 hours. W it ne sses who must trav el more than 30 miles from their residenc e m ust also be pa id round trip mi lea ge at th e ra te all owe d for state empl oyees. Admini strative Rule 7. Mile ag e rate s c an be found on the court system websit e (w ww. co urts.ala ska.g ov/hom e.ht m). Cl ic k on “m ilea ge ra te” unde r the “Court System Inf ormati on ” he ading for c ur re nt and pa st mi lea ge r a tes. D. PREP ARE OUTL INE.You should make a li st or outl ine of a ll your evi de nc e, including witnesse s. You should re fer to y our list or outli ne a t t ria l to make sure you remembe r to tell the judge the importa nt fa cts. 23Alaska S mall Cla ims Handboo kCha pter VTR IAL If you have difficult y he aring , tell the cler k and ask to use the assisted listening equipm ent av ail able in the c ourtrooms.A. BEFO RE T RIAL .Be sur e to get to court a li ttle earl y on the day of y o ur tria l. This will give you ti me to becom e familiar with the c ourtr oom. If possi ble, wa tch a nother small c laims trial be for e yours. The re are no stric t rules of dr ess, but you should be ne at and c lean.In small towns and village s the cou rt ma y be onl y a sin gle r oom a nd yours may be the only case sche duled. In cit ies there will be a courthouse with se ve ral courtr ooms. Th ere ma y be seve ral ca se s sc heduled for the s a me time as yours. If you cannot tell from y ou r noti ce of trial whic h co