Santa Clara County Small Claims Court

I was on hold for an hour and ten minutes. All I had was ONE question. And no body could answer it. ONE question regarding an affidavit yet no one could answer

Too much waiting time to fix a small traffic fine… They need more people or something. There is no waiting room you have to stay up in your feet to wait for your turn. They should install some electronic system. Parking is very difficult most of parking lots are occupied by personnel

I took Stanford Hospital and two Stanford doctors to small claims court in January 2011 and it was a total joke. The Palo Alto judge let Stanford’s attorney talk for over ten minutes and told me to shut up when I tried to raise an objection about attorneys are not supposed to be present in small claims court. When I was finally allowed to speak, I told the judge the attorney was not supposed to be there and the judge just told the attorney, in an apologetic tone of voice, I guess you are not supposed to speak in small claims court and the attorney remained in the court room, whispering advice to his clients in violation of state law. Then when I stated I needed an extension because I had spent all my time trying to serve Stanford Hospital and the two doctors, the judge actually chided me for bothering the two doctors and only very reluctantly agreed to an extension. This is despite the fact I had witnesses and recorded voice mails of Stanford Hospital and the two doctors trying every trick in the book to avoid being served which is actually a criminal misdemeanor in Santa Clara County. The judge acted like I was the one violating the law, not Stanford.
When the case was finally heard, I had a stack of evidence against Stanford consisting of articles written by doctors and nurses and I described in detail how Stanford had violated all the procedures and recommendations in the articles. The judge did not even make eye contact with me during my testimony, focusing only on the defendants. It was as if I was not even there. I got a notice the very next day that I had lost the case so the judge must have decided against me within minutes because the usual mailing time between Palo Alto and East San Jose is usually two days. Obviously, the judge did not bother to read my 30 pages of supporting documents.
People, the U.S. court system is a joke now. The courts rule in favor of big business and big non-​profits 95% of the time or even a higher percentage. They only represent the interests of the rich and powerful. Let your representatives in Congress and the state legislature now we will no longer put up with it.

You know, going into court last week was made very easy and efficient by the staff. Simple and and effective. It’s a stressful situation taking someone to court but it was very convenient getting in and out in. Had pro temp judge who seemed knowledgeable and seemed interested in details.

Boyfriend works here so I’ve brought him lunch a couple of times. People who work there are friendly considering the profession. Ample parking and lots of shade. They even have a picnic table outside!