The ailing economy is keeping things busy for the Tucson courts these days
Lawsuits over unpaid debts and other financial disputes are up 33 and 45 percent, respectively, in Pima County Justice and Superior courts over the past year, in yet another indicator of the economic downturn.
Court officials say they’ve seen an upswing in lawsuits filed over bad checks, repossessed vehicles, loan defaults, credit cards and other contract disputes, although they can’t provide exact numbers for each specific type of case.
In addition, more landlords are seeking to evict their tenants.
Justice Court handles cases involving amounts less than $10,000; Superior Court handles cases above that.
The cases have increased so much that Justice Court employees are working some Saturdays; justices of the peace are working through lunch; and Lisa Royal, Justice Court administrator, has applied for a grant so she can hire two more clerks.
"I think this is just the leading edge," said Presiding Judge Jan Kearney of Pima County Superior Court. "We’ll have a clearer picture in six months of the impact."
While we have heard about the increase in people walking away from their homes, but there hasn’t been a lot of talk about the increase of people fighting evictions as well.
