To entitle a defendant to any setoff he or she may have against the plaintiff, he or she must allege the same in his or her answer; and the statutes regulating setoffs in the superior court, shall in all respects be applicable to a setoff in a justice’s court, if the amount claimed to be setoff, after deducting the amount found due to the plaintiff, be within the jurisdiction of the justice of the peace; judgment may, in like manner, be rendered by the justice in favor of the defendant, for the balance found due the plaintiff.
[ 2010 c 8 § 3024; Code 1881 § 1767; 1873 p 346 § 66; 1854 p 232 § 54; RRS § 1789.]

NOTES:

Reviser’s note: Justices of the peace and courts to be construed to mean district judges and courts: See RCW 3.30.015.

Terms Used In Washington Code 12.08.120

  • Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
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