California has the largest court system in the United States with more than 1,700 judges presiding over more than six million cases each year.
The California Court System is divided into three types of courts: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and Superior Court. All state court cases begin in the Superior Court.
Superior Court
Each county in California has one superior court or, as it is sometimes called, trial court.
There are 47 courthouses in Los Angeles County where Los Angeles Superior Court Judges will preside over trials, hearings, and motions.
Subject Matter Jurisdiction
Subject Matter Jurisdiction means the court has the authority to handle and determine the outcome of the case based on the amount of damages and type. For example, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judges cannot hear a bankruptcy because it is a federal case and no state court can hear it.
The Superior Court has jurisdiction over all state criminal and civil cases. There are several specialty Superior Courts with specific requirements for jurisdiction.
Small Claims Court is a special type of Superior Courts. For jurisdiction, the disputed amount must be less than $10,000 for an individual or less than $5,000 for a business. There are some additional requirements which must also be met for each special court.
Limited Civil Courts are for cases where the dispute is less than $25,000
Unlimited Civil Courts involve cases where the dispute is more than $25,000 and anything not under another jurisdiction.
Personal Jurisdiction
Personal jurisdiction is determined where the parties of the lawsuit live. If the plaintiff lives in Alpine Count and the defendant lives in Kings County, then the civil case cannot be filed in Los Angeles County. The case must be filed in the county where either of the parties live or the county where the value or property loss occurred.
