Show All Answers

1. What are the court costs and deposits?

Visit the costs, deposits, and fees page to check out the current court costs.

2. What happens if I don't show up for court?

If you do not show up for a scheduled court appearance for a criminal or traffic case in municipal court, you should expect a warrant to be issued for your arrest. This warrant is called a Capias and usually has a bond amount stated within the document. Once you are arrested, the bond must be posted to secure your release from jail. In order to avoid the issuance of a Capias, please see the next question. A Capias also can be expected if you do not pay the fine and do not show up on the date ordered by the court.

You should know that once a Capias is issued, the Clerk of Court can notify the BMV. The BMV in turn blocks the person's driver's license and vehicle registration issuance/renewal, and assesses the person a $15 fee. If you missed a court appearance or failed to pay a fine for a criminal case and think a Capias may have been issued for your arrest, you should immediately call your attorney, if you have one. In any case, you may call the Clerk of Court's office at 330-335-1596 to determine whether a Capias has been issued and the amount of any bond. The clerk's office should be able to give you instructions on how to post bond or otherwise respond to the Capias.

Your failure to appear for a scheduled appearance for a civil case can result in the case being dismissed if you filed the complaint, or a default judgment being rendered against you, if the suit was brought against you.

3. What is Small Claims Court?

Small Claims Court is a division of the Wadsworth Municipal Court (each county in Ohio has one). Small Claims was created by the Ohio Legislature to permit easy access to court for persons with the disputes involving relatively small amounts of money. Cases are heard by the judge but the procedure used by the court is less formal.

4. How is a Small Claim case filed?

The plaintiff (person filing the case) must fill out a form which shall state the nature of the claim and the amount allegedly owed. The claim must be filed under oath.

The plaintiff must provide the court with the address of both parties, the plaintiff and the defendant (person being sued). The court notifies both parties of the trial date, and sends the defendant a copy of the claim.