SMALL CLAIMS COURT IN MN NOT SO SMALL – CAR CRASH VEHICLE DAMAGE
Minnesota’s Conciliation Court has increased the maximum claim amount to $15,000. That is good news for consumers. Conciliation court has two important advantages to regular court. First, you don’t need to hire an attorney for conciliation court. In fact, lawyers are discouraged. Second, you get a much faster hearing date than you would in regular district court.
Our lawyers handle car accident injury cases. However, we also sometimes get calls after an auto accident where no one is injured but there is a dispute over the vehicle damage. Sometimes, the issue is who was at fault. In other cases, it is clear who was at fault but the parties cannot agree on the value of the wrecked vehicle. Thanks to this increase, many more car damage disputes can be resolved in MN conciliation court without a lawyer.
PRESENTING CONCILIATION COURT CAR ACCIDENT CASE
Although you don’t need a lawyer in conciliation court, you still have to present your case in a persuasive way. This means you should bring photographs and witnesses if possible. Also bring documentation such as repair estimates or online valuation printouts to show how to value the damage to your vehicle.
If the other driver has insurance, you must name the owner or driver of the other vehicle. In other words, you can’t sue their insurance company. However, send a copy of the Complaint to their insurance company so they can defend the claim. If you keep them informed, the other vehicle’s insurance company will pay the award.
BEWARE CONCILIATION COURT IF ANYONE WAS INJURED
However, you should NEVER start a conciliation court claim if you or any of your family members were injured in the crash. The reason for this is that you can only go to court once for the accident. Therefore, if you go to court on the vehicle damage, even conciliation court, you may be giving up the opportunity for future injury compensation. Our lawyers recommend you wait a few months after the crash before starting a conciliation court claim. You want to be sure there are no injuries. If anyone was injured, call a car accident lawyer before going further.
For more information about conciliation court, check out the State of Minnesota Conciliation Court website. http://www.mncourts.gov/selfhelp/?page=313. There is information about how to file a claim and how to present a claim. Also, how to collect a claim. For more information on getting compensated for damage to your car after an accident, click here.