Fla. Sm. Cl. R. 7.170
DEFAULT; JUDGMENT
Text — July 1, 2026 edition
(a) Default. If the defendant does not appear at the scheduled time, the plaintiff is entitled to a default to be entered by either the judge or clerk.
(b) Final Judgment. After default is entered, the judge shall receive evidence establishing the damages and enter judgment in accordance with the evidence and the law. The judge may inquire into and prevent abuses of venue prior to entering judgment.
Notes and commentary — not rule text
Court Commentary
1972 Amendment. Evidence may be by testimony, affidavit, or other competent means.
1980 Amendment. By the amendment to this rule, the judge is permitted to ensure by any means which the judge deems appropriate that venue is not being abused.
Source of truth
- Edition
- July 1, 2026 edition
- Official file
- https://www-media.floridabar.org/uploads/2026/08/2026_01-JUL-Small-Claims-Rules-7-1-2026-1.pdf (PDF pages 28)
- Text hash
- sha256 2e239e18513f23cdd26231e609a6f36dea90d160c99a8fa3fef795137edcce0f
- Composed by
- compose_book.py 2026-10-03: pypdfium2 primary, PyMuPDF check, PDF bookmarks as the inventory
BenchPath cards that rely on this text
- Small Claims Pretrial Conference: Appearance Required — Fla. Sm. Cl. R. 7.090, 7.160, 7.170
- Small Claims Pretrial Conference: Appearance Required — Fla. Sm. Cl. R. 7.090, 7.160, 7.170
- 4th Cir. Admin. Order 1974-04A — Motion of Clerk of Country Court for Clarification of Certain Provisions of Country Court Administrative Order no. 4 Motion of Clerk of Country Court for Clarification of Certain Provisions of Country Court Administrative Order no. 4
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.