Again this is small claims, and wondering what the penalties would be if the defendant was a NO SHOW??.

Is this a felony?...Would they issue a arrest warrant?.

Thanks!.

OK... you are suing someone in Small Claims Court and they (the person being sued) does not show up.  As I understand it, that means you, the person suING wins a 'default judgement' (you get everything you asked for).  At that point you have legal papers requiring the other party to pay up.  Good luck.  Your options to collect vary wildy by state and locality, but you may  be able to turn it over to a Collection Agency.  

Failure to show in SMC is not a crime so no, there will be no warrant issued.  The no-show just loses his case.  Turnabout is fair play, if the plaintiff (the person suing) does not show, the case is dismissed.

NOT A LAWYER

MVR

I'm guessing your chances are slim and none. If the defendant blows off the court appearance, I bet trying to track them will be challenging.

IANAL

I am not a lawyer

I wish it was a felony. You automatically get the judgement if the defendent is a no show. The only problem now is, how are you going to get the judgement??? I am currently experiencing this now as well and it's been a year since the court date. The person I'm suing has changed his number and I'm pretty sure he has moved. I think you are able to garnish wages but you have to go through the court again (at least in L.A. that's what they instructed to do). Good luck!

If the paper was served in person and the defendant didn't show up, you'll probably win by default, given that you have a valid case.  If you served it by certified mail, you may still win but the court may decide it wasn't served properly.  You'll be given a chance to reschedule the hearing.  

Collecting the money is a lot more difficult than winning the case.  You want to ask yourself if it's worth filing, if you don't know you can collect it.

If you know where they bank, you can collect off it.  If you know where they work, you can garnish their wage.

If the defendant does not appear, then a default judgement is issued & expect that the claim will be upheld.  But then the plaintiff will have to sue to get the money owed.  It could take years & cost you plenty in lawyers fees.

Daughter & room-mates moved out of an unsafe & unsanitary appt (sewer back up, not their fault, not properly cleaned up).  They had the city health dept inspection/letter as to the unsanitary condition...  apartment had been condemned & no new certificate of occupancy issued.  Slumlord wanted the remainder of the lease & the deposit!  Got probono representation to sue out-of-state slum lord to recover their secutity deposit back.  Took 2 years to win.  City siezed the property to enforce payment.

If they don't show up and skip out of town you're screwed unless you can find out information that can lead the court to collect for you.  Don't underestimate the power of social engineering.  With people being so stupid online it is easy to get added to their Facebook or Myspace, chat them up and get all the information you need to collect.  Simply turn the info over to the court and police in that jurisdiction and let them do their work.

It's a automatic bench warrant if the defendant does not show up to the asset evaulation hearing which is the 2nd hearing of the process. At which time they are subject to arrest for contempt of court.
You can also place liens on property and advice state agencies who issue professional liceases that the defendant may have so there is a record of the judgement within the public comment section of certain liceases.
Judgements are good for 10 years and can be renewed when they are renewed you start gaining interest on the original claim.
There are several legislative bills currently under consideration in CA to ammend laws that will put more teeth into the recovery aspect of the small claims process. One of which will not allow the person to renewal certain liceases personal and professional until the debt is paid.

One of you says it is NOT a crime, and no warrant will be issued for a defendant no show....

Another one of you said, there WILL be a warrant issued if the defendant does not show??.

Which one is it?.

Thanks!.

But what is the likelihood of the defendant showing up if they didn't in the first hearing.  Bench warrant will involve more fees.  

Small claims is really more about whether you have the information that you can go after to collect the judgment.  

Small claims adverser should be able to help with any questions.

More fee that are tacked on to the total amount of the original judgement. Plus with a judgement on their record.

Also with a judgement on their record, it makes it harder for them to apply credit and if they do it will be at higher interest rates on loans.. car, home, and business loans, credit cards.

Any financial information would have to be rendered to the plantiff at the assest evaluation hearing.

If your goal is to make the defendant's life harder, then that's nice.  But really, you just want the money and quickly.  You really don't want to spend time going back and fourth to the court, and it wouldn't get that far if done properly.  It's best to have (or obtain) the information you can collect on, and get it over with.

While some of the posts above do contain SOME correct information, the only post that reads like the writing of an attorney is the one by "OCman40", with this caveat:

In California, at least, the decision rendered by a court is spelled "judgment", without an "e" in the middle.  A person exercising "good judgement" is usually spelled with an "e" in the middle.

Perhaps he suffers from what seems to be a lack of spelling abilities in the younger generations (texting has its disadvantages) and a failure to proofread (he meant "licenses"), which can be lethal for an attorney.

Although there may have been "spelling" errors in my previous posts. The truth of the matter is that information posted earlier is correct.

I can confidently say this because the fact matter is I have personal experience from the plantiff's point of view in the small claims process and no TPR, I am not an attorney.  

Keep correcting those papers.

i know this one first hand, you automatically WIN your case if the defendant does not show up for small claims court
that is in state of FL

If the defendant is a no show, then you will be awarded a judgment by default. It is not a criminal act to default in small claims court.
It is not worth getting into post judgment remedies, but there are limitations in small claims courts.  

Yes, there was a lot of uninformed advices rendered on this thread.

none of the above.

      In California, the failure of a properly served defendant to attend the hearing in small claims court does NOT mean that the plaintiff automatically wins. The plaintiff still must prove his claim and the amount of damages.

       If the  court finds the plaintiff has carried his burden of proof, he may enter judgment for the plaintiff against the defendant. The court can rule against the plaintiff and the plaintiff ordinarily has no right of appeal.

      No, the defendant is not arrested for failing to appear in response to small court claim. No, the court does not issue a bench warrant for his arrest.

       But the mere entry of judgment does not mean the plaintiff wins either. The defendant cannot appeal the judgment entered against him but he can file a motion to vacate and if  can show  good cause exists to vacate the judgment (my cat was sick that day doesnt work)  the judgment is well .vacated. The court conducts a new hearing this time with the defendant present.

      If judgment is entered against an absent defendant, the notice of entry of the judgment is mailed to the defendant. The clerk is required to also mail to defendant a form containing questions regarding the nature and location of any assets of the judgment debtor.

        This is where the law gets tougher. If no motion to vacate is filed, and the defendant willfully fails to complete and return  the form within the specified time period, the plaintiff may request the court to hold the defendant in contempt of court. One of the sanctions for contempt is indeed arrest.

     There may local rules that supplement the foregoing procedures. But all small claims courts that I have seen have great consumer education materials that should answer all of these questions. If not consult a local atty.