A few basic rules apply, regardless or whether your case is Civil or Criminal in nature, and regardless of what Court has jurisdiction of your case:
(1) COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE COURT. While a judge may discuss scheduling issues with one party at a time, it is our preference not to discuss ANY matters with one party to a case out of the presence of the other party. Under no conditions will a judge discuss the merits of a case with only one party, so please DO NOT ask to discuss your case with a Judge. We want both parties to be confident in receiving a fair and unbiased day in Court.
(2) NEITHER THE CLERK NOR THE JUDGE CAN OR WILL GIVE LEGAL ADVICE TO EITHER PARTY. Should you need legal advice, please seek it from a licensed attorney.
(3) NOTIFY THE COURT OF CHANGES IN CONTACT INFORMATION IMMEDIATELY! If you should move, it is your responsibility to inform the Court in writing of your new address. The Court is not responsible for a party who does not receive their hearing notice because they did not inform the Court of a new address. If the Plaintiff fails to provide the Court with their new address, and does not appear at the hearing, the Court may dismiss the case. In a Civil case, the Court may issue a default judgment against a Defendant who does not appear at the hearing. In a Criminal case, the Court will issue a Failure to Appear Warrant for a Defendant who fails to appear for Court.
PREPARING FOR THE CIVIL HEARING
The Council of Magistrate Court Judges has many helpful videos. As we are required to hold you to the standards of an attorney whether or not you are one, come prepared! Although we cannot give you legal advice, we can direct you to several videos that will help you be prepared for Court! Watch these videos prior to coming to Court!
The Plaintiff must prove the Defendant is indebted to the Plaintiff, and must also prove the amount of damages in detail. The Magistrate Court will apply “the rules of evidence”, considering evidence and sworn testimony. Know that estimates, letters, affidavits, statements, etc., must be authenticated for the purpose of proving damages, and the author of such documents must be in court for the other party to cross examine. This means that if the person who wrote the letter or statement is not at the hearing to testify, the document may be given little to no weight even though the document may be admissible. The party introducing such evidence must have the maker of these writings in court so that the other party may cross examine (question) that person. Just as you may not introduce a writing without having its maker in court, you cannot tell the Judge what someone said who is not at the hearing and available for cross examination (questioning). You may need to subpoena your witnesses, and/or you may need to seek the advice of an attorney to determine which evidence to introduce. Neither the Judge or any of the Court’s employees can tell you what to introduce or how to try your case.
Gather all of your documents (receipts, warranties, etc.) and organize them before the hearing. You will need to notify your witnesses of your Court date. The Court will not be involved with witnesses who do not show up at the hearing unless they were properly subpoenaed. You may obtain subpoenas from the court and have them served a minimum of 24 hours before their appearance is scheduled. A return of service must be filed with the Court in order for the Court to enforce the witness’ appearance. A witness that lives outside of Pike County must also be paid the statutory witness fee and mileage in order for the Court to enforce their appearance. However, the court will have witnesses subpoenaed if you file a written request with ample time for service.
ATTORNEYS. If you decide to hire an attorney after you file your claim, make sure the attorney files a Notice of Appearance with the Court in advance. If such a notice is not filed, the Court may refuse to allow the attorney to represent you unless the other party has no objections. If you choose to hire an attorney, please do so as soon as possible. Waiting until the last minute puts everyone at a disadvantage.
PRIOR TO THE HEARING
You will receive notice of your hearing by either mail or hand-delivery. If after receiving your hearing notice you discover that you have a conflict, you should immediately request a continuance from the Court. Such a request may be made only if you have a good legal cause for continuance, and it must be submitted to the Court in writing. DO NOT wait until near or on the trial date to ask for a continuance, and do not request a continuance when there are no legal grounds to support it. One continuance may be granted at the Judge’s discretion.
Prepare for you day in Court by studying the video tutorials designed by the Council of Magistrate Court Judges to aid you in handling your case without an attorney if necessary.
COURT DAY
After the calendar is called on Court day, a short recess will be called and the Plaintiff and Defendant will be given an opportunity to work out their issues without a trial. Magistrates are mandated by Georgia Law to provide the parties on opportunity to attempt to resolve their issue(s) before we intervene. The Court will not ask anyone to accept any unreasonable or unfair offer, but only that the parties try to reach an agreement. We find that both parties are usually happier with the resulting decision when the Order of the Court is based on an agreement the parties actively participate in reaching.
However, if the parties cannot resolve their differences, the case will then proceed immediately to trial. The cases with the fewest witnesses will be tried first because they usually take the least amount of time.
The Judge will briefly explain the trial procedures before the hearing begins, and it is highly recommended that both parties review the videos prior to coming to Court. All persons (parties and witnesses) that will testify at the hearing will be sworn or affirmed. If there is an attorney involved, the court will give them the option of swearing or affirming their own witness(es).
The Plaintiff has the burden of proving the Defendant’s liability as well as the amount of damages. For this reason, the Plaintiff will have the first opportunity to tell the Court his/her side of the case and present evidence on his/her behalf. After the Plaintiff has finished, the Defendant is allowed to cross-examine the Plaintiff (ask the Plaintiff questions about his/her testimony). The Defendant should not make any additional statements or comments at this time. The Plaintiff may also offer the testimony of witnesses if there are any. This will be done by the Plaintiff asking questions of the Witness(es) and the Witness(es) directing their answers to the Court. The Plaintiff should not ask leading questions. These are questions suggesting an answer and can often be answered with a yes or no. This only affirms what the Plaintiff has stated in his/her question. The witness(es) adds nothing to the case by answering leading questions on direct examination. The witness(es) testimony is more credible when he/she testifies in response to the question. After the Plaintiff completes his/her questioning of each witness, the Defendant may cross-examine (ask questions) the witness(es). Leading questions are permitted during cross-examination.
Any physical evidence (pictures, receipts, documents, etc.) presented to the Court must be shown to the opposing party before it is handed to the Judge (showing evidence to the opposing side before the hearing is ideal). Before the Plaintiff rests his/her case, the Judge will ask which exhibits (evidence) are to be entered into evidence. The Judge will ask the opposing party if it objects to any of the submitted evidence. If there is an objection the Judge will decide which evidence will be accepted according to the law. Once an item is accepted into evidence, it becomes part of the Court’s file and will not be returned. You are responsible for making two (2) copies (three total) of your documents ahead of time so that both parties and the Judge are able to review the document(s) together.
Once the Plaintiff has rested his/her case, the Defendant will begin his/her case following the same procedures as the Plaintiff. After the Defendant has rested his/her case, each party will be given 5 minutes for closing arguments. At this time, each side will try to convince the Court to rule in their favor by pointing out the highlights of the evidence that is most favorable to their position, but no additional question can be asked nor can any further evidence be submitted.
The Judge may make a decision at this time or may take the case under advisement and let the parties know of his/her decision through the mail. A written judgment will be sent to each party in the mail as soon as it is prepared. Please DO NOT call the Court and ask for its decision. This information will not be provided over the phone.
If you are unhappy with the outcome and feel you have sufficient merit for an appeal, you may do so. Therefore, NO FI FA WILL ISSUE UNTIL THE 30 DAY APPEAL PERIOD HAS EXPIRED.
UPDATE: As of July 1, 2023, Appeals, Writs of Certiorari, Mandamus, and Prohibitions will be replaced with a “Petition for Review.” A petition for review must be filed within 30 days after the final judgment of the lower court is filed, if one is to be filed, unless stated otherwise. This new procedure will include both appellate review and de novo review by the reviewing courts
APPEALS
PRE-July 1, 2023: Either party has the right to appeal the judgment of the Magistrate /Court. Most civil cases MUST be appealed within 30 days from the date of Judgment (but see Dispossessory appeal rule, below). The appeal must be made in writing and appeal forms may be obtained from the Clerk of the Magistrate Court or by completing and filing the appeal form here. The appeal will go to the Pike County Superior Court in the Griffin Judicial Circuit. The party filing the appeal must pay the Superior Court’s filing fee prior to the appeal being filed in Superior Court.
As of July 1, 2023, Appeals, Writs of Certiorari, Mandamus, and Prohibitions will be replaced with a “Petition for Review.” A petition for review must be filed within 30 days after the final judgment of the lower court is filed, if one is to be filed, unless stated otherwise. This new procedure will include both appellate review and de novo review by the reviewing courts. a Petition for Review shall be filed in the Superior Court Clerk’s office, not the Magistrate Court, and the Petitioner must pay the Superior Court filing fees, as well as the judgement entered in the Magistrate Court, to the Superior Court Clerk upon filing the Petition for Review.
Appeals from dispossessory actions MUST be filed within 7 days from the date of judgment, and also requires, in addition to the appeal costs, that any amounts of rent determined due by the Magistrate Court be paid into the registry of the Superior Court at the time of appeal, and all future rents must also be paid into the registry of the Superior Court at the time they are due.
If a Defendant fails to show at trial, a default judgment is issued and there is no appeal. If the defendant fails to answer a civil claim within 30 days, the case is in default and the Defendant has 15 days in which he/she may open the default by paying court cost and filing an answer. No fi fa will be issued on a default judgment for 15 days.
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:On-Line Filing – File your Statement of Claim on line! It’s fast, easy and secure.
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In addition to filing your case and answer on-line using the link above, should you need help filling out a Statement of Claim or an Answer, you will find a helpful “Free Forms Generator” for some types of cases.