Abbott Law Blog

Utah raised the jurisdictional limit in small claims court to $10,000 this years.  That means that small claims courts can issue judgments for amounts up to $10,000 inclusive of attorneys fees.  Interest and costs of suit can exceed the $10,000 limit.

This makes small claims courts an attractive alternative to District Court for small cases.  Small claims cases are typically resolved within a few months whereas District Court cases can last a year or more.

Small claims courts still are not allowed to issue injunctions.  In other words, they can’t tell a person to do anythign other than pay money.  That means they aren’t good alternatives for foreclosure, quiet title, wrongful competition and other similar cases where a litigant wants a court order regarding something other than the payment of money.