QUESTION
Which jurisdiction to sue former roommate?
Asked on Aug 19th, 2013 on Contracts - District of Columbia
More details to this question:
I live in Washington, DC. My former roommate moved out overnight without my knowledge, leaving behind furniture and a huge mess, and is now refusing to pay final rent or for the damages assessed to the rental unit by our landlord (approx. $1,000 total). She has moved to Virginia (Alexandria), but is a federal employee in Washington, D.C. Should I file my claim in Washington's small claims court or Viriginia's small claims court?
1 ANSWER
You can probably sue in either court, as your former roommate would normally be subject to the jurisdiction of either. If you were talking about a court of general jurisdiction, I would definitely say D.C., since that is more convenient for you. However, small claims courts sometimes have very limited jurisdiction, and you can't always sue non-residents of the jurisdiction there. If you want to file a small claims action (and I agree that you should rather than file a case in the higher court), you should contact the clerk of the small claims court and ask if you can sue a Va. resident there. If so, do so; if not, file in Va.
Answered on Aug 19th, 2013 at 4:14 PM