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Small Claims Court Case Prep Packet: Demand Letter, Itemized Damages Worksheet Mapped to Receipts, Evidence Index, Witness List, Timeline, Filing Checklist for Your State's Limits and Service Rules, and a 2 Minute Hearing Script
Get a small claims case organized before you file: a firm demand letter with a deadline, a damages worksheet where every dollar maps to a receipt or record, an evidence index, a witness list, a dated timeline, a filing checklist that has you confirm your own state's dollar limit, fees, and service rules, and a 2 minute script for the hearing. Not legal advice.
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Prompt
Act as a self help court navigator and paralegal who prepares people to represent themselves in small claims court for consumer, contractor, deposit, and property damage disputes, and who knows judges decide these cases in minutes from a clear timeline, an itemized amount, and documents that back each item. Inputs: - Your side of the dispute in plain words: what was agreed, what happened, and what you want: [DisputeSummary] - The other party: full legal name, business type (person, LLC, corporation), address, and how you know the legal name: [OtherParty] - Money you lost, item by item, with the record for each (receipt, invoice, bank statement, estimate): [DamagesItems] - Evidence you have: contracts, texts, emails, photos, checks, estimates, with dates: [EvidenceList] - People who saw or know something, and what each can say: [Witnesses] - State and county, plus anything you already know about the court's dollar limit, filing fee, and service rules, with the source: [CourtInfo] - Your contacts with the other party so far and any replies: [ContactHistory] - Output format: [Format] Generate: 1. A timeline: each event with date, what happened, and the exhibit that proves it. 2. A damages worksheet: each item, amount, how it was calculated, and the exhibit it maps to; a total; and items that are weak (no record, estimated, emotional distress, time off) marked so the user can decide whether to keep them. 3. A demand letter: facts in date order, the amount demanded matching the worksheet, a response deadline (a specific date), how to pay, and a statement that the user will file in small claims court if it is not resolved. Firm, polite, no threats beyond filing. 4. An evidence index: exhibit number, description, date, and what it proves, in the order the user will present it, with a note to bring copies for the judge and the other side as the court requires. 5. A witness list: name, what they saw, whether they will come or give a signed statement, and a reminder to check whether the court accepts written statements. 6. A filing checklist built on CourtInfo: confirm the state's small claims dollar limit, the filing fee and fee waiver option, the correct county or court, the correct legal name and address of the defendant, and the service rules and deadlines. Any rule not supplied with a source stays CONFIRM WITH YOUR COURT. 7. A 2 minute hearing script of about 260 words at a steady pace: who you are, what was agreed, what went wrong, the amount, and the exhibits in order, ending with what you are asking the court to order. 8. Likely questions from the judge and the other side, with short answers tied to exhibits. Constraints: - Not legal advice. Do not state any state's dollar limit, fee, deadline, or service rule as fact unless the user supplied it with a source. - Do not add penalties, multiples, or interest unless the user cites the law or contract that allows them. - Keep the letter free of insults and defamatory claims. No em dashes.
Instructions
Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Generated Output
This image was generated using the prompt above.

Examples
Example Input
DisputeSummary: I hired GreenEdge Landscaping to install a paver patio for 4,200 total. I paid a 1,800 deposit. They never started and stopped answering. I hired another company for 4,950. I want my deposit back plus the extra I had to pay. OtherParty: GreenEdge Landscaping LLC (name from the state business search), 22 Mill Road, Easton; owner Craig Patel signed the contract DamagesItems: deposit 1,800, check 1142 cleared April 4, 2026; replacement contract 4,950 vs original 4,200, both contracts on file EvidenceList: signed contract April 2, 2026 with May 1 start date; cancelled check image; texts May 3 'next week for sure' and May 20 'crew issue'; no replies after May 28; Stone Path Pavers contract June 10, 2026 Witnesses: my neighbor Lisa Moreno saw no crew ever came CourtInfo: county court small claims; I have not checked the limit or fees yet ContactHistory: texts and two voicemails; no answer since May 28 Format: packet
Example Output
Not legal advice. Confirm every court rule with your county court. 1. Timeline | Date | Event | Exhibit | | April 2, 2026 | Contract signed, 4,200 total, start May 1 | 1 | | April 4, 2026 | Deposit check 1142 for 1,800 cleared | 2 | | May 1, 2026 | No crew arrives | Witness: Lisa Moreno | | May 3, 2026 | Text from Craig Patel: 'next week for sure' | 3 | | May 20, 2026 | Text: 'crew issue' | 3 | | May 28, 2026 | Last contact; no replies since | 3, 4 | | June 10, 2026 | Stone Path Pavers contract, 4,950 | 5 | 2. Damages worksheet | Item | Amount | Calculation | Exhibit | | Deposit for work never done | 1,800.00 | Cleared check | 2 | | Extra cost to replace the work | 750.00 | 4,950 minus 4,200 | 1, 5 | | Total demanded | 2,550.00 | | | Possibly weak: the 750 depends on the second job being the same scope. Bring both contracts so the judge can compare them. Filing fee and service costs: ask the clerk whether they can be requested if you win. 3. Demand letter [Date] GreenEdge Landscaping LLC, Attn: Craig Patel, 22 Mill Road, Easton Re: Paver patio contract dated April 2, 2026 On April 2, 2026, I signed a contract with GreenEdge Landscaping LLC for a paver patio at a total price of 4,200, with work to start May 1, 2026. I paid a deposit of 1,800 by check 1142, which cleared April 4. No work was ever started. You told me on May 3 the crew would come the next week, and on May 20 that there was a crew issue. I have had no reply since May 28. I hired another company to do the same work for 4,950. I request payment of 2,550: the 1,800 deposit and 750 in extra cost. Please pay by [date, 14 days out] by check to the address above. If this is not resolved by that date, I will file a claim in small claims court without further notice. [Name, address, phone] Send by a trackable method and keep a copy as Exhibit 6. 4. Evidence index 1 Contract, April 2: price, scope, start date 2 Cancelled check 1142: deposit paid 3 Texts May 3 and May 20: promises, no work 4 Call log and voicemail dates: attempts to resolve 5 Stone Path Pavers contract, June 10: replacement cost 6 Demand letter and tracking: notice before filing Bring copies for the judge and GreenEdge, as your court requires. 5. Witnesses Lisa Moreno: no crew came in May. Ask if she can attend; check whether the court accepts a signed statement. 6. Filing checklist - Dollar limit for small claims in your state: CONFIRM WITH YOUR COURT that 2,550 is under it. - Filing fee and fee waiver: CONFIRM WITH YOUR COURT. - Defendant: GreenEdge Landscaping LLC, registered agent address from the state business search. - Service method and deadline: CONFIRM WITH YOUR COURT. 7. Hearing script (250 words, about 2 minutes at a steady pace) Good morning, Your Honor. My name is [name], and I am the plaintiff. I am asking for 2,550 from GreenEdge Landscaping LLC for a patio they were paid to build and never started. On April 2, 2026, I signed a contract with GreenEdge for a paver patio at my home for a total price of 4,200. That is Exhibit 1. It shows the price, the scope, and a start date of May 1. Two days later, my deposit check for 1,800 cleared. That is Exhibit 2, check 1142. On May 1, no crew came. My neighbor, Lisa Moreno, is here and can confirm that no one worked at my house in May. On May 3, the owner, Craig Patel, texted me that the crew would come the next week for sure. On May 20 he texted that there was a crew issue. Those texts are Exhibit 3. After May 28, he stopped answering my texts and calls. My call log is Exhibit 4. I still needed the patio, so on June 10 I hired Stone Path Pavers to build the same patio for 4,950. That contract is Exhibit 5, and the scope matches Exhibit 1. Before filing, I sent GreenEdge a demand letter by tracked mail, Exhibit 6, and I received no reply. I am asking the court to order GreenEdge Landscaping LLC to pay me 2,550: the 1,800 deposit for work never done, and the 750 extra I had to pay to get the same work done. Thank you. 8. Likely questions Same scope? Compare Exhibits 1 and 5. Did you cancel? No; texts show they kept delaying.