Petty Debts Court common queries
The following section is designed to answer queries that do not relate to bringing a claim to Court. If you have any other questions, contact the Petty Debts Court Greffier at pdc@courts.je.
I have received a Summons, what should I do?
If you owe the money but forgot to pay, you should contact the person or company taking you to Court and pay immediately. The Plaintiff has until 1pm on Monday before the Court date to withdraw their claim.
If you do not agree you owe the money claimed (or part of it), you must come to Court to defend the claim on the date in the Summons. You should also contact the Greffier to let them know you will attend.
If you do not attend, the Judge might give Judgment against you for the full sum claimed, plus costs.
I have obtained a Judgment from the Petty Debts Court, how do I get it enforced?
If the Court granted a Judgment against a person or a company in your favour, you must collect the Judgment from the Court and take it to the Viscount's Department so that they can enforce it. They may either make deductions from the Defendant's wages or seize their assets and sell them.
The Viscount's Department will charge a fee for this service. See Enforcement of Judgment Debts.
How can I clear my credit rating?
A Judgment stays on your credit record for 10 years and affects your credit rating.
Paying the debt alone will not make the Judgment disappear.
There are two ways that you can clear your rating; both involve bringing the case back to Court.
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The Plaintiff may agree to return to Court and apply for the judgment to be abandoned, if you have paid the debt.
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If you believe you do not owe the money (or part of it) and were unaware of the claim, you may ask the Court to set aside the Judgment. You will need a genuine reason not to have been in Court on the day the Judgment was made and must be able to put forward a solid defence to the claim.
You can find more about the processes for clearing your credit rating in our leaflet.