In General Sessions today, I saw two funny things. One lawyer was walking around with a half-empty bottle of Mountain Dew in his suit jacket. Another lawyer had a can of snuf in his back-pocket as he made an argument to the Judge.
(Disclaimer: I love Mountain Dew, and I’ve praised the A.A. Birch courthouse and others for keeping it fully stocked.)(Second Disclaimer: I’ve talked about Mountain Dew a lot on twitter.)
What I’m saying is that Davidson County General Sessions Court is a little bit different than the stuffy and formal proceedings in District Court.
That’s why a lot of the larger Nashville law firms don’t file anything in small claims court. It can be a weird, fly-by-the-seat of your pants exercise in justice. Big firms and “fly-by-your-seat” don’t mix well.
But the following timeline shows how General Sessions Court is awesome:
- October 18, 2017: Filed Civil Warrant for $24,999.00.
- October 19, 2017: Obtained Personal Service on Defendant.
- October 26, 2017: Took a Judgment for $33,500.00 (base amount, but remember this old post–you can exceed that amount with attorney fees, expenses, etc.).
So, to be clear, after the 10 day appeal period expires on Monday, November 6, 2017, I’ll have a final judgment for $33,500.00 and can execute on it–in less than three weeks after filing the lawsuit.
If your creditor lawyers are filing collection lawsuits in Circuit Court or Chancery to collect debts that are less than $25,000.00, you’re paying too much and waiting too long for your Judgments.
Creditors Rights 101 