Debt Collection, Garnishment, Repossession

questions & answers

Question: I received a summons for an old old credit card debt. If I answer it in justice court (small claims) I guess there are no appeals. How do I request Superior Court?

Answer:

In Arizona, A.R.S. § 22-201, Justices of the Peace have exclusive original jurisdiction of all civil actions when the amount involved is ten thousand dollars or less (exclusive of interest, costs and awarded attorney fees). According to A.R.S. § 12-123, Superior Court's have original and concurrent jurisdiction as conferred by the constitution, and concurrent jurisdiction with justices of the peace of misdemeanors where the penalty does not exceed a fine of one thousand dollars or imprisonment for six months.

The Arizona Supreme Court has developed guides to self represented appellants if a person decides to appeal a justice court civil decision (non-traffic case) in a Superior Court. To see the guide, you may want to go to the Arizona Supreme Court website.