{"data":{"id":"us-mt/25-35-601","jurisdiction":"us-mt","citation":"25-35-601","heading":"Commencement of action -- assistance to claimant.","body":"(1) A small claims action is commenced whenever any person appears before a justice of the peace or the justice's clerk and executes a sworn small claims complaint in substantially the same form as set forth in 25-35-602.\n(2) The justice shall assist any claimant in preparing the complaint or instruct the clerk to provide the assistance. The attorney general shall prepare a pamphlet explaining in plain language the procedures for prosecuting and defending a claim in small claims court and distribute copies of the pamphlet to each small claims court. The justice or the justice's clerk shall give the plaintiff a copy when the plaintiff appears to execute a complaint, and a copy must be attached to the order of the court/notice to defendant.","path":["TITLE 25. CIVIL PROCEDURE","CHAPTER 35. SMALL CLAIMS PROCEDURE -- JUSTICE'S COURT","Part 6. Procedure Before Trial"],"source_url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0250/chapter_0350/part_0060/section_0010/0250-0350-0060-0010.html","current_through":"Montana Code Annotated 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T04:50:18Z","sha256":"2e7c88a8b662a805d939089bfa859886f663c88712b95020510b3021ff5a95d8","source_id":"us-mt","stale":false,"prev":"us-mt/25-35-508","next":"us-mt/25-35-602"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}