BIG THINGS

Bad things usually come in threes, things like when a man you hired to paint your house collects money, then disappears which means you have to go to Small Claims Court and pay fees to sue the individual who cheated you to get your money back. You are then given a day and time to appear before the judge. You pay a process server to present papers to the “crook”, dress nicely for the court appearance. What happens?

We followed all the written instructions. We arrived in court at the appointed time and gave our names to the bailiff who tells us we are not on the schedule. We have a copy of our paid receipt, so she sends for our papers from the Clerk of Courts office. The judge receives our file and asks if the defendant, who has not appeared, has been served. We reply that he has, the process server had called us the week before to say she was going to the courthouse that day and would turn the papers into the Clerk’s office. We don’t have a copy with us.

The judge says he cannot proceed until he has a copy from the process server. We go home for our copy, returned to the Clerk of Courts Office for some clarification. No one can find what we actually have receipts for. The office supervisor says it must have been misfiled, so she keeps our copy.

I called the process server who told me she had personally hand delivered the notarized papers to that very same office supervisor!

So what happens when you follow the rules for a court appearance? You are made to look like a fool before the judge. Also, do you think we’ll ever get our money back?