<HTML>In a message dated 7/19/02 7:12:12 AM Central Daylight Time, jformsma@dixie-net.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Dear List, Do any of you have advice for the following? I am owed a little less than $200. Is it worth the effort to go to small claims court when the court is located some 75 miles away? I hope no one has experience with this, but if you do, I'd benefit from hearing it. Thanks, John M. Formsma Blue Mountain, MS </BLOCKQUOTE> John It might be worth it, if you have the time. The expense of filing is added to what the client owes you. But there are two things to consider. First is your time. With the court 75 miles away, it will take you a minimum of three hours to go to court. Is it worth three hours of your time to get $200? The second thing to consider is that even if the judge sides with you, all the court can do is order the client to pay you. The client is still not obligated to do so. If the client doesn't pay, then you have to go to the sheriff, who will charge you a fee, to go the client to collect the money. If the client has the money when the sheriff shows up, then that is all there is to it. But if the client doesn't have the money, then you have to go to court again to place a lien on his/her property. If the client thinks he doesn't owe you the money, and is hoping the judge will dismiss the case, then you might have a chance of collecting it after the judge rules in your favor. But if the client is dodging you, even if the small claims judge tells the client to pay you, you might have to go to a lot of trouble to get it. I have done about 10 small claims. 5 of them sent me the money. 4 of them are in litigation, and I decided it wasn't worth the money and time to go after the last one. Wim  </HTML>