Is there a limit on the amount of money I can collect in a small claims court case?

In Virginia, the limit for any claim filed in a small claims court is $5,000. This means that if the amount you are trying to collect from the person or business you are suing is more than $5,000, you cannot file a claim in small claims court. Additionally, if the amount is less than $5,000, but you think that it might exceed $5,000 at trial, you should also not file a claim through small claims court. If a case is filed in small claims court in Virginia, the court will only be able to award a judgment up to the maximum of $5,000. If you need to collect more than this amount, you will need to take your case to the appropriate circuit court where the judgments can be much higher. It is important to note that even if the court awards you a judgment up to the maximum of $5,000, you cannot actually collect the money unless the defendant agrees to pay or unless you take additional steps to collect the money. This may involve getting a court order for the defendant to pay you or garnishing wages or bank accounts.

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