{"id":2403,"date":"2018-09-11T12:52:28","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T16:52:28","guid":{"rendered":"\/?page_id=2403"},"modified":"2024-01-02T09:55:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-02T13:55:50","slug":"filing-a-small-claims-complaint","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"\/resources-services\/filing-a-small-claims-complaint\/","title":{"rendered":"Filing a Small Claims Complaint"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Filing a Small Claims Complaint<\/h1>\n<div class=\"su-box su-box-style-soft\" id=\"\" style=\"border-color:#000000;border-radius:3px\"><div class=\"su-box-title\" style=\"background-color:#333333;color:#FFFFFF;border-top-left-radius:1px;border-top-right-radius:1px\">Notice<\/div><div class=\"su-box-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"border-bottom-left-radius:1px;border-bottom-right-radius:1px\">The Commission is temporarily waiving certain requirements related to paper filing of documents, ink signatures, and service by mail of complaints in 46 C.F.R. part 502. See the following links for more information:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www2.fmc.gov\/readingroom\/documents\/30335\">Waiver of Certain Filing Requirements Due to COVID19<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/temporary-adjustments-in-fmc-operations\/\">Temporary Adjustments in FMC Operations<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>A small claim may be filed to seek reparations (damages) from another individual or company (the Respondent) for economic injury not exceeding $50,000 caused by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?path=\/prelim@title46\/subtitle4\/partA\/chapter411&edition=prelim\">violations of the Shipping Act of 1984 (46 U.S.C. 411)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Commission provides a standard format for <a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/SmallClaimsComplaintFormat.pdf\">filing a small claims complaint.<\/a>\u00a0 All small claims complaint filings should follow this standard format. You may not simply sign and submit the exhibit. The information shown in brackets is to guide you regarding what information you must provide.<\/p>\n<p>Small Claims are determined by a settlement officer using informal procedures and are governed by Commission rules found at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecfr.gov\/current\/title-46\/chapter-IV\/subchapter-A\/part-502#subpart-S\">46 CFR 502.301-502.305<\/a>. Please review these rules before filing an informal complaint.<\/p>\n<p>Please note that a Respondent may object to the informal procedure within 25 days of being served. Should Respondent refuse the informal procedure, the claim will be assigned to an Administrative Law Judge for formal adjudication under\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecfr.gov\/current\/title-46\/chapter-IV\/subchapter-A\/part-502#subpart-T\">Subpart T of the Commission\u2019s rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A small claims complaint must:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>State a section of the Shipping Act\u00a0 found in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?path=\/prelim@title46\/subtitle4\/partA\/chapter411&edition=prelim\">46 USC Chapter 411<\/a>\u00a0you allege was violated<\/li>\n<li>Be properly signed and sworn or verified by using a notary public or making one of the statements below and signing the name afterward\n<ul>\n<li>If you are located in the United States: “I declare (or certify, verify or state) under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.”<\/li>\n<li>If you are located outside the United States: “I declare (or certify, verify or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Be signed and dated<\/li>\n<li>Include an original and two copies of the claim and supporting documentation<\/li>\n<li>Be filed within three years from the time the cause of action accrued (i.e., the date the Shipping Act violation occurred)<\/li>\n<li>Be mailed, with the appropriate\u00a0<a href=\"\/resources-services\/summary-of-fees\/\">filing fee<\/a>\u00a0to:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>David Eng<br \/>\nSecretary<br \/>\nFederal Maritime Commission<br \/>\n800 N. Capitol St. N.W.<br \/>\nWashington, DC 20573<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Filing a Small Claims Complaint A small claim may be filed to seek reparations (damages) from another individual or company (the Respondent) for economic injury not exceeding $50,000 caused by\u00a0violations of the Shipping Act of 1984 (46 U.S.C. 411). The Commission provides a standard format for filing a small claims... <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"\/resources-services\/filing-a-small-claims-complaint\/\">Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":2050,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2403"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2403"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8086,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2403\/revisions\/8086"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}