General Civil FYIs

• Make sure you report the accident to the police, no matter what the other party says. This reporting will allow the police to be an objective third-party to the event and generate a report about the situation that constitutes a government document.
• Try to obtain the insurance information from the other party as well.
• If the other party caused the accident and refuses to pay, you do have some options for being compensated for the repairs to your vehicle. Give us a call or request an appointment to review your options.  

• If someone owes you up to $5,000 (e.g. roommate, contractor, etc.), you can file a claim (warrant in debt) in small claims court for the amount. Attorneys are not permitted in small claims court in Virginia, and the proceeding entails the judge asking each side to tell them their version of what happened.
• Each side can present evidence, like witness testimony (or signed and notarized affidavits in lieu of witnesses), including their own testimony, and receipts and communications that show the amount owed and why/why not the defendant owes the amount. For more information on small claims court procedures, refer to the Virginia Courts Guide.

• When someone owes you money, you may be considering taking them to court to get the court to issue a judgment that the person does owe you money. This action is merely the first step toward actually getting your money back. A judgment does not actually force a person to pay you the money that is owed; you must then seek an execution of judgment (i.e. enforcement) in another court proceeding after waiting a certain amount of time after the judgment is entered if the person has not paid you. There are different ways to enforce the judgment; please contact us to learn more. 

Civil Cover Sheet

Warrant in Debt (Small Claims) 

Itemized List of Damages