Contracts for companies like JetBlue often won’t let you take them to real courts. But you can take them to small claims court. Here’s how:
If you are ready to sue JetBlue and small claims court you have to make sure that your situation qualifies. Small claims court is only available for specific types of claims. Pay attention to these two things:
The type of compensation you want. In most lawsuits you can ask for one of two things, a monetary award which is a dollar value payment, or an equitable award which is any non-monetary request. With an airline this might include damaged luggage or lost property. But with small claims courts you can only sue JetBlue for a monetary award.
If your claim doesn’t fall within the limits of your state’s small claims court, you’ll have to arbitrate your claim instead.
If your case qualifies and you are able to sue JetBlue in small claims court, you’ll have to start by sending a demand letter.
Small claims courts require that you ask the person you are suing, in this case JetBlue, to voluntarily fix the problem before you file your claim with the court.
This doesn’t have to be complicated. The goal here is simply to check a box and prove that you did it. The letter should consist of no more than a few sentences or paragraphs that explain your name, contact information, JetBlue account number if you have one, what your problem is, and how you want JetBlue to fix it.
Once you are done, send a hard copy of that letter to the legal address for the company. You want some form of certified mail or other mail that lets you confirm delivery so that you can prove to the small claims court that you did your part. Mail it to:
National Registered Agents, Inc.
160 Greentree Dr. Ste 101
Dover, DE 19904
If you would like examples of demand letters or more information about how to write them, you can find an excellent guide here.
In order to sue JetBlue in small claims court, you’re going to need to fill out some paper work.
The forms required to sue JetBlue in small claims court differ based on state. Your county could provide additional forms to fill out as well. You can find your state court website here and look for the right forms.
You also want to look for how many copies you need. Most small claims courts require three or four copies when you move on to the next step and if you don’t have the right number of copies, you won’t be able to sue JetBlue in small claims court.
Assuming that JetBlue has not responded to your demand letter, it’s time to move forward and sue JetBlue in small claims court by filing your forms.
This process can be a bit tricky. Like most steps involved, there are different requirements for each state. Most courts however will require that you physically visit the courthouse during specified hours and days of the week to hand deliver your forms to the clerk. If you are particularly lucky you might be able to file by mail, fax or (for a few courts) online.
Before you sue JetBlue and small claims court you will have to pay a filing fee the amount of which should be published on your court website. If you are a low-income plaintiff you might be able to have this fee waived.
After you stand in the right line under the beautiful fluorescent lights of most county courthouses, the county clerk will review the documents, stamp the forms, file a copy with the court and give you back your copies. They will also give you the date of your hearing.
Don’t celebrate just yet. There are still a few more steps. One of the copies that you were given back by the clerk is for JetBlue. As you continue through the steps to sue JetBlue in small claims court you now have to inform the company that they are being sued and that is a process called serving.
To officially serve JetBlue you have to deliver a copy of your file papers following the instructions on your court website. If you can’t find the instructions for your area you can search for “[your state] small claims service of process”.
Your claim will be dropped if you do not file every rule about how to serve a defendant properly, so pay attention.
Remember the court date you were given by the clerk? That’s the date of your hearing and it’s imperative that you know which Courthouse to go to, and you show up on time.
Bring the copy of your filed forms and any evidence you have to prove to the judge why you were warranted when you decided to sue JetBlue in small claims court.
Sometimes they won’t send anyone to oppose you and if that happens make sure you focus on your side of the story.
If you are lucky the judge will make a decision the same day but in some cases the judge might need to extend the hearing over the span of a few days or weeks to gather more information.
Ready to sue JetBlue in small claims court?
If this sounds too hard and expensive, try consumer arbitration instead…
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