Dear Editor
Small Claims Court was established to decrease the number of court cases waiting in the dockets to be heard. The idea was that plaintiffs and defendants could come to an amicable agreement and settle their differences without going to war with each other or the expensive drawn-out process of hiring lawyers and the usual congestion and delays a court case would entail.
Alas, this has not been the case and the results, only cleared the court dockets, but incurred more expenses to the plaintiffs as the verdicts rendered by the judges are completely ignored by some defendants. Some defendants even ignored the summons to appear in court for a hearing. Plaintiffs had to pay court costs, plus the fees for serving the summons, and upon receiving a verdict had to pay again to start the collection process.
However, what was more appalling was the total disrespect afforded the proclamation, "In The Name Of The King". This proclamation was not a welcome event in the old days, as it usually brought bad tidings. Whoever ignored it would feel the full wrath of the King, which was usually torture, maiming, or a beheading. Today, even letters to those who must represent the King and uphold his name go unanswered, leaving the plaintiffs more frustrated than when they brought their cases to the courts.
Today, such a proclamation isn't worth the paper it is written on. Bailiffs appear powerless to enforce them as their hands seem tied with what they can legally do. In the end, it seems that engaging the Small Claims Court is throwing good money behind bad money. Let us bring respect back to the King. Let us put some teeth in Small Claims rulings.
Francis D. Hodge
