Small Claim, Big Reward

On Saturday, May 27, I finished another training program for people who want to volunteer as mediators in Small Claims court.

We normally see disputes that have a dollar value in contention.  But, people can be creative in the disputes that they bring to Small Claims.

For example, in one recent case a blogger sued another blogger for engaging in a campaign of cyber-bullying by posting a series of false statements.

The burden of proof in a libel case is on the plaintiff to prove what was posted was false.  The defendant isn't required to prove they are true.

The judge ruled for the plaintiff saying that he believed what the the defendant posted was false and awarded the plaintiff $5,000 in damages and $55 in court fees.