The Washington-based organization H.A.L.T. (Help Abolish Legal Tyranny) has just released its report card on the small claims court systems of the states. North Carolina was the eighth worst in the nation, earning a D based on HALT’s six criteria. You can read what they have to say about NC here and then clicking on NC on the map.
Why does it matter? Because small claims court is the only way for many people to obtain justice. When the amount in question is fairly small, it just doesn’t make sense to hire an attorney since the cost of doing so is often greater than the damages. The state ought to make the justice system more open and friendly to ordinary people.
In HALT’s ranking, no state received an A grade, but Georgia earned a B and South Carolina a C. Our low D minus (60 percent of the criteria were Ds and 40 percent Fs) leaves a lot of room for improvement.
