SANTA ROSA COUNTY, FLORIDA SMALL CLAIMS DIVISION Case # ________________________ (Refer to this # when making inquiries) _____________________________________________ Plaintiff(s) Vs _____________________________________________ Defendant(s) ____________________________________ Address ____________________________________ Address SUMMONS/NOTICE TO APPEAR FOR PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE STATE OF FLORIDA-NOTICE TO PLAINTIFF(S) AND DEFENDANTS(S):______________________________________________________________________ YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that you are required to appear in person or by attorney at the Santa Rosa County Courthouse located at 6865 Caroline St., Milton, Florida 32570 on the _______________________ day of _____________________, 20_____, at ____________________ _______am ___pm, for PRETRIAL CONFERENCE before a Judge of this Court. PLEASE DRESS APPROPRIATELY: NO SHORTS, TANK TOPS, HALTER TOPS OR FLIP FLOPS IMPORTANT-READ CAREFULLY THE CASE WILL NOT BE TRIED DURING THIS PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE. DO NOT BRING WITNESSES. APPEAR IN PERSON OR BY ATTORNEY. The defendant(s) must appear in court on the date specified in order to avoid a Default Judgment. The plaintiff(s) must appear to avoid having the case dismissed for lack of prosecution. A written MOTION or ANSWER to the court by the plaintiff(s) or the Defendant(s) shall not excuse the personal appearance of a party or its attorney at the Pre-Trial Conference. The date and/or time of the Pre-Trial Conference CANNOT be rescheduled without good cause and prior court approval. A corporation may be represented at any state of the trial court proceedings by an officer of the corporation or any employee authorized in writing by an officer or the corporations. Written authorization must brought to the Pre-Trial Conference. The purpose of the Pre-Trial Conference is to record your appearance, to determine if you admit all or part of the claim, to enable the court to determine the nature of the case, and to set the case for trial if the case cannot be resolved at the Pre-Trial Conference. You or your attorney should be prepared to confer with the dispute, exhibit any documents neccessary to prove the case. Page 1 of 2 (continued on next page) 10 American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com If you admit the claim, but desire additional time to pay, you must come and state the circumstances to the Court. The Court may or may not approve a payment plan and withhold judgment or execution of levy. RIGHT TO VENUE: The law gives the person or company who has sued you the right to file in any one of several places listed below. However, if you have been sued in any place other than the one of these places, you , as a defendant(s) have the right to request that the case be moved to a proper location or venue. A proper location or a venue may be one of the following: (1) where the contract was entered into; (2) if suit is on an unsecured promissory note, where note is signed or where maker resides; (3) if the suit is to recover property or to foreclose a lien, where the property is located; (4) where the event giving rise to the suit occurred; (5) where any one or more of the defendant(s) sued resides; (6) Any location agreed to in a contract; (7) in an action for money due, if there is no agreement as to where suit may be filed, proper venue lies in the county where payment is to be make. If you, as a defendant(s), believe the plaintiff(s) has/have not sued in one of these correct places, you must appear on your court date and orally request a transfer, or you must submit a WRITTEN request for transfer in affidavit form (sworn under oath) with the court seven (7) days prior to your first court date and send a copy to the plaintiff(s) or plaintiff(s) attorney, if any. A copy of the Statement of Claim shall not be served with this summons. If you desire to file any counterclaim or off-set to plaintiff(s) said claim, it must be filed in this Court by you or your attorney in writing at least five (5) days prior to the above date. You should also serve a copy to the Plaintiff(s), by mail. Dated in Milton, Santa Rosa County, Florida on this _______________________ day of ______________, 20_____. DONALD C. SPENCER, CLERK OF COURT BY ________________________________ DEPUTY CLERK If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled at no cost to you to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact: Court Administration ADA Liaison Santa Rosa County 6865 Caroline Street, Milton, Fl 32570 Phone 850-623-3159 FAX 850-982-0602 ADA.santarosa@flcourts1.gov at least seven (7) days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the schedule appearance is less than seven (7) days: if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711. Page 2 of 2 11 American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com