Bill Text: NJ SCR184 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requests Supreme Court to increase certain monetary limits of matters heard in the Special Civil Part of the Superior Court from $3,000 to $5,000.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-12-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee [SCR184 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-SCR184-Introduced.html
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 184
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED DECEMBER 9, 2019
Sponsored by:
Senator PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.
District 18 (Middlesex)
Senator DAWN MARIE ADDIEGO
District 8 (Atlantic, Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Requests Supreme Court to increase certain monetary limits of matters heard in the Special Civil Part of the Superior Court from $3,000 to $5,000.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution requesting the Supreme Court of the State of New Jersey to increase monetary jurisdictional limits in Special Civil Part.
Whereas, The Superior Court, Law Division, Special Civil Part is a limited jurisdiction division of the Superior Court which permits the filing of certain types of civil actions for money claims up to a specific dollar amount; and
Whereas, Civil actions seeking legal relief in which the amount in controversy does not exceed $15,000 are the kinds of actions cognizable in the Special Civil Part with small claims actions restricted to a maximum of $3,000 for actions in contract and tort and actions between a landlord and tenant for rent or money damages, and a maximum of $5,000 for the return of all or part of a security deposit; and
Whereas, Reduced fees, such as filing fees, and faster resolutions are benefits associated with bringing cases in the Special Civil Part versus in the Law Division generally; and
Whereas, Increases in the jurisdictional limits of the Special Civil Part have traditionally, though not exclusively, been made pursuant to changes in the court rules which currently reflect a comprehensive scheme for types of cases cognizable and monetary limits; and
Whereas, The current maximum dollar amounts for actions cognizable in the Special Civil Part, while representative of the types of money disputes which the Special Civil Part was designed to address, do not reflect the total volume of comparatively small disputes which could benefit from reduced fees and summary resolutions, especially in the Small Claims Section, but due to the rate of inflation do not currently qualify for inclusion in the Special Civil Part; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. The Supreme Court is respectfully requested to review and increase the overall limits of matters cognizable in the Superior Court, Law Division, Special Civil Part, Small Claims Section to $5,000.
2. Copies of this
resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the
Secretary of the Senate to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State
of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution requests that the New Jersey Supreme Court increase the monetary jurisdictional limits of the Law Division, Special Civil Part, Small Claims Section.
