Does losing in small claims court affect credit rating?

Does losing in small claims court affect credit rating?

A county court judgment (CCJ) can negatively affect your ability to get credit for up to six years. That means loans, credit cards, and even mobile phone contracts may be out of your reach. However, there are things you can do to help lessen the impact of a CCJ.

What happens if the plaintiff fails to appear in small claims court?

Section 3, Rule 17 of the Rules of Court provides that “if plaintiff fails to appear at the time of the trial, or to prosecute his action for an unreasonable length of time, or to comply with these rules or any order of the court, the action may be dismissed upon motion of the defendant or upon the court’s own motion.

What if the defendant doesn’t pay?

If you do not pay the judgment debt or return the goods according to the judgment, the other party can take enforcement action to force you to pay or return the goods. If you need more time to pay the debt or return the goods you can apply for a stay of enforcement.

What happens if the complainant does not appear in court?

If the Plaintiff does not show up for the trial and the Defendant does appear, if the Defendant asks, the Court may dismiss the case without prejudice. If the Plaintiff does refile the case and again fails to appear at trial, the Small Claims Rules say the Court may dismiss with case with prejudice.

How long does it take for a case to be dismissed?

Some states have a 90 day rule but there is really no set time for a judge to make a decision. If he needs more time it usually means that the case is a very close call and the last thing you want to do is to try to hurry the judge up and anger him. Sometimes judges can take a year or more to render a ruling.