california-sc100-form git:20260424.d50cf5aA

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---
name: california-sc100-form
description: Understand the structure and fields of the California Small Claims Court Form SC-100
---

# California Small Claims Court Form SC-100

## Form Purpose
Form SC-100 is the "Plaintiff's Claim" form used to initiate a small claims action in California.

## Standard Sections and Fields

### 1. Court Information
- **Court location**: Usually pre-filled or filled during filing
- Cases are filed where defendant lives/works or where contract/injury occurred

### 2. Plaintiff Information (Left side - "PLAINTIFF")
- **Name**: Full legal name
- **Address**: Street, city, state, ZIP
- **Phone Number**: Contact phone
- **Email Address**: Optional but helpful
- **Defendant represented by attorney**: Yes/No checkbox

### 3. Defendant Information (Right side - "DEFENDANT")
- **Name**: Full legal name
- **Address**: Street, city, state, ZIP
- **Phone Number**: If known
- **Email**: If known
- **Does defendant have employee/workers/agents**: Yes/No

### 4. Claim Information (Main body)
- **Nature of Claim**: Description of why you're suing
  - Examples: "Failure to return security deposit", "Breach of contract", etc.
- **Facts**: Detailed description of what happened
- **Contract Reference**: If applicable, mention any written agreement
- **Damages**: Amount claimed
  - Broken down by category if needed (e.g., security deposit, lost rent, etc.)
- **Amount sought**: Total claim amount

### 5. Dates and Timeline
- **Date of incident/contract**: When dispute arose
- **Filing date**: When form is submitted

### 6. Declaration
- "I declare under penalty of perjury..." statement
- Signature line (sign in front of clerk or notary)

### 7. Additional Pages
- Page 1: Main claim information
- Optional additional pages for longer fact descriptions

## Common Field Names (may vary by PDF version)

Typical naming patterns:
- `Plaintiff_Name`, `Plaintiff_Address`, `Plaintiff_Phone`, etc.
- `Defendant_Name`, `Defendant_Address`, etc.
- `Nature_of_Claim`, `Facts_of_Claim`
- `Amount_Claimed`, `Amount_Demanded`
- `DateOfDispute`, `DateOfIncident`
- Various checkboxes for claim types

## Important Notes for Filling

1. **Leave blank**: Case number, date stamped, court use only sections
2. **County**: Usually auto-filled based on court location
3. **Amounts**: Write out numerically (e.g., $1500.00)
4. **Dates**: Format as mm/dd/yyyy or yyyy-mm-dd depending on form
5. **Names**: Use full legal names
6. **Addresses**: Include apartment/unit numbers if applicable
7. **Phone Numbers**: Include area code
8. **Signature**: Leave blank unless instructed otherwise
9. **Checkboxes**: Mark with "Yes" or check mark depending on form

## Section Priority for Filling

Fill in this order:
1. Plaintiff (you) information
2. Defendant information
3. Nature and facts of claim
4. Amount claimed
5. Dates relevant to the dispute
6. Declaration (automatic wording is usually pre-printed)

## Tips for Security Deposit Claims

When filling for a security deposit dispute:
- **Nature**: "Failure to return security deposit"
- **Facts**: Mention roommate/tenant relationship, move-out date, sublease agreement
- **Amount**: Security deposit amount
- **Evidence**: Reference "signed roommate sublease contract"
- **Contact attempts**: Mention text messages or communications demanding return