Second Step - Mail on or about September 1, 2020
Filing with Small Claims in Redwood City
Step Two borders on cumbersome. If you haven't already done it, you may wish to print out the
check off list now.
Needed: a printer, two stamped 9 x 10 manila envelopes, paper clips,
& a personal check with your address on it
1) Small Claims claims are each 5 pages long. You'll need to submit three claims.
2) The PDF icons for the 5 pages are below.
Page 1 - print three copies
Page 2 - print one copy
Page 3 - print one copy
Page 4 - print three copies
Page 5 - print three copies
3) Fill out pages 2 & 3. Note: You do not have to use these pre-filled forms. You may get blank
forms for small claims court from the San Mateo Superior Court system if you prefer.
Make 3 copies of page 2 and 3 copies of page 3.
4) One additional page: The Letter to the Judge Regarding the Federal Statute
To ensure the judge is fully informed on the reasons why the defense cannot use the Federal
Statue in small claims court, our attorney advises us to provide letters for you to
print out, sign, and include with the small claims papers. This will not be mandatory but
we strongly encourage you to use it as it will give reasons and cite sources for our position.
It will be posted here when it's ready.
4) Assemble three separate small claims with your original papers in the first
group. Each claim will have 8 papers.
The first pages in each claim will be small claims pages 1 - 5.
The next 2 pages will be the letter from San Francisco.
The 8th paper will be the letter to the judge.
Paper clip each of the 3 claims.
5) Before the small claims department assigns you an appearance date, consider
that the date will likely be on a Tuesday or Wednesday, a.m. or p.m.
The date will probably fall between 3- and 7 weeks after the small claims department
receives your claims. If the past is an indicator of the future, the judge will arrange for us to
appear in small groups.
If you know there are some dates in that range when you cannot attend a hearing,
please put a post-it note on the first page of the first claim with your name and
dates you are unavailable (not just inconvenienced).
If you wish to attend with someone who's also filing the same time you are, note that
as well. No guarantees the department will be able to accommodate your preferences,
though.
Be aware that the defense may request a postponement at the last minute of your
assigned date, pushing your appearance a few weeks further out.
6) When to mail the packet?
Please mail packet on or about September 1, 2020.
7) As of March, 2020, the cost to mail the packet to Redwood City was $1.80. Before you
mail the 9 x 10 manila envelope packet to the Superior Court of San Mateo, 400 County
Center, Redwood City, CA, 94063, include 2 more items:
~ a $65 check (made out to San Mateo County Superior Court) for one
claimant, $90 to file jointly*. Write your address on the check if it's not already
there, please.
~ a self-addressed $1 stamped 9 x 10 manila envelope
IMPORTANT! When you get your processed claim returned from Redwood City, please send these 4 things: Your name (s), email, case # as seen on the first page of your returned processed claim, and the appearance date you'll be attending.
Third Step - if you cannot attend on your assigned date
Fourth Step - "War of attrition"