4 ms·

Most small claims courts cap suite sizes at $2-3k. Thus, I disagree with this statement.

by tjic 18y ago

tptacek 18y ago
Way to just make shit up there, guy. http://bit.ly/V9Zg8 http://bit.ly/V9Zg8 The mean limit for all the 50 states is $5964 (more than he'd get from a collections agency). The median is $5000 (also more than he'd get). In particular, in some major tech business jurisdictions: NY: $5000 WA: $5000 CA: $7500 IL: $10,000 GA: $15,000 (MA is $2k. That sucks, lots of tech companies in MA. On the other hand, PA is $8k.) Note also that typical fees for collections agencies appear to exceed 50%, and that's a contingency fee.
- modoc 18y ago
  From a comment above, United Mercantile takes 30%, so it sounds like you'd be better off with them instead of small claims court. Also, many/most states don't actually do the collection for you if you win, so you may have to resort to a collections agency anyhow. All the court does is decide "Yes party B owes party A sum Y", which frankly seems like that's already pretty clear in the legal contract. FWIW: I'm in MA, hence my reference to the 2k limit in my comment elsewhere on this thread.
  - tptacek 18y ago
    I gather the haircut you take from a collections agency depends on the duration of the delinquency, so you may be right --- although $6.5k is less than a lot of jurisdictions small claims limits. Your comment about collecting the judgement makes a good point, although I'll point out that it's easier to collect a civil judgement than a debt; judgement debtors can levy bank accounts.
- tokenadult 18y ago
  Way to just make shit up there, guy. From the Hacker News guidelines: http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html "In Comments "Be civil. Don't say things you wouldn't say in a face to face conversation. "When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names. E.g. 'That is an idiotic thing to say; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3' can be shortened to '1 + 1 is 2, not 3.'" I always like that it says, "can be shortened to" as a gentle reminder that disagreeing with statements of facts doesn't serve as an excuse to throw in personal insult.
  - tptacek 18y ago
    Apparently you never pull things out of your ass in message board debates. I've done it enough not to be insulted when I get called on it. If I offended you by calling out someone else, tokenadult, I sincerely apologize.
    - tjic 18y ago
      > Apparently you never pull things out of your ass in message board debates. I've done it enough not to be insulted when I get called on it. So you both lie and call names. Delightful.
      - anamax 18y ago
        > So you both lie and call names. It looks like he documented that the small claim suit limits are typically considerably higher than the claimed $2-3k. Is he wrong? If not, what lie did he tell?
        tptacek 18y ago
        This retarded subthread is my fault, I'm very sorry, now let's move on.
        tokenadult 18y ago
        I think in the parent to which the insulting reply was made, there was a statement that was actually TRUE (not made up) in the parent post's author's jurisdiction. It is, of course, helpful to add other facts that pertain to other jurisdictions, but there is no necessity to add any personal dig in such a reply. Yeah, I think I would enjoy having a beer with and making mocking comments in person with most people who post on HN, but while we haven't all had the privilege of meeting one another, we may as well follow the civility guidelines here. (Upvoted comment downthread expressing apology.)
        deleted 18y ago
        [deleted]

Most small claims courts cap suite sizes at $2-3k. Thus, I disagree with this statement.

by tjic 18y ago

Most small claims courts cap suite sizes at $2-3k. Thus, I disagree with this statement.

Way to just make shit up there, guy. http://bit.ly/V9Zg8 http://bit.ly/V9Zg8 The mean limit for all the 50 states is $5964 (more than he'd get from a collections agency). The median is $5000 (also more than he'd get). In particular, in some major tech business jurisdictions: NY: $5000 WA: $5000 CA: $7500 IL: $10,000 GA: $15,000 (MA is $2k. That sucks, lots of tech companies in MA. On the other hand, PA is $8k.) Note also that typical fees for collections agencies appear to exceed 50%, and that's a contingency fee.

modoc 18y ago
From a comment above, United Mercantile takes 30%, so it sounds like you'd be better off with them instead of small claims court. Also, many/most states don't actually do the collection for you if you win, so you may have to resort to a collections agency anyhow. All the court does is decide "Yes party B owes party A sum Y", which frankly seems like that's already pretty clear in the legal contract. FWIW: I'm in MA, hence my reference to the 2k limit in my comment elsewhere on this thread.
- tptacek 18y ago
  I gather the haircut you take from a collections agency depends on the duration of the delinquency, so you may be right --- although $6.5k is less than a lot of jurisdictions small claims limits. Your comment about collecting the judgement makes a good point, although I'll point out that it's easier to collect a civil judgement than a debt; judgement debtors can levy bank accounts.
tokenadult 18y ago
Way to just make shit up there, guy. From the Hacker News guidelines: http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html "In Comments "Be civil. Don't say things you wouldn't say in a face to face conversation. "When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names. E.g. 'That is an idiotic thing to say; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3' can be shortened to '1 + 1 is 2, not 3.'" I always like that it says, "can be shortened to" as a gentle reminder that disagreeing with statements of facts doesn't serve as an excuse to throw in personal insult.
- tptacek 18y ago
  Apparently you never pull things out of your ass in message board debates. I've done it enough not to be insulted when I get called on it. If I offended you by calling out someone else, tokenadult, I sincerely apologize.
  - tjic 18y ago
    > Apparently you never pull things out of your ass in message board debates. I've done it enough not to be insulted when I get called on it. So you both lie and call names. Delightful.
    - anamax 18y ago
      > So you both lie and call names. It looks like he documented that the small claim suit limits are typically considerably higher than the claimed $2-3k. Is he wrong? If not, what lie did he tell?
      - tptacek 18y ago
        This retarded subthread is my fault, I'm very sorry, now let's move on.
      - tokenadult 18y ago
        I think in the parent to which the insulting reply was made, there was a statement that was actually TRUE (not made up) in the parent post's author's jurisdiction. It is, of course, helpful to add other facts that pertain to other jurisdictions, but there is no necessity to add any personal dig in such a reply. Yeah, I think I would enjoy having a beer with and making mocking comments in person with most people who post on HN, but while we haven't all had the privilege of meeting one another, we may as well follow the civility guidelines here. (Upvoted comment downthread expressing apology.)
        deleted 18y ago
        [deleted]