Yes! You can use AI to fill out Form SC-100A, Other Plaintiffs or Defendants (Attachment to Plaintiff's Claim and ORDER to Go to Small Claims Court)

When suing a corporation, LLC, or public entity, filers often leave the 'agent for service of process' section blank. This happens because they don't know who the agent is or don't understand its importance for legally notifying the business of the lawsuit. Failure to correctly list the agent can lead to improper service, causing the case to be delayed or dismissed. To avoid this, you must look up the registered agent for the business, typically on the California Secretary of State's website, before filling out the form.

Users often get confused by the term 'fictitious business name' (also known as a DBA or 'doing business as') and either check the wrong box or fail to attach the required SC-103 form. This mistake can lead to the court clerk rejecting the filing or challenges to the plaintiff's standing to sue. If a plaintiff business operates under a name that is not its legal name, you must check 'Yes' and attach the completed SC-103 form to properly register the business name with the court.

Filers may use informal names, nicknames, or incomplete business names instead of the full, correct legal names for plaintiffs or defendants. This can create significant problems with serving the lawsuit and enforcing a judgment if you win. Always use the full legal name for individuals (e.g., 'Johnathan P. Smith' not 'Jon Smith') and the complete, registered name for businesses (e.g., 'Acme Innovations, LLC' not just 'Acme').

An unsigned or undated form is legally invalid and will be rejected by the court clerk, halting the filing process. People often print the form and forget to physically sign it, or they overlook the date field entirely. Always double-check that each declarant has signed and dated the form in the designated spaces before submission to ensure the document is legally binding.

This form is an attachment, so it must include the case number from the main SC-100 form to be correctly associated with your case. People frequently make typos, omit characters, or forget to enter the case number altogether. An incorrect case number can cause the document to be misfiled or rejected, delaying your case. Carefully copy the entire case number exactly as it appears on the primary court document.

The 'Page __ of __' fields are often left blank, which can cause confusion, especially if multiple SC-100A forms are attached. This can lead to the court clerk being unsure if the submission is complete. You should number the pages sequentially (e.g., Page 2 of 3, Page 3 of 3) to ensure the court understands the full scope of your filing. AI-powered tools like Instafill.ai can help manage pagination automatically when filling out forms.

The form provides separate fields for a physical street address and a mailing address (like a P.O. Box), but people often fill them out incorrectly. They might enter the same address in both places or leave the mailing address blank when it's the only valid address for receiving mail. This can result in court notices being sent to the wrong location and missed deadlines. Only fill out the 'Mailing address (if different)' section if the party receives mail at a location other than their physical street address.

The form includes checkboxes to indicate if there are more than four plaintiffs or more than two defendants, which requires attaching another SC-100A form. Filers sometimes miss these checkboxes and try to squeeze extra names into the margins or simply omit parties. This results in an incomplete filing and means not all parties are properly included in the lawsuit. Always check the appropriate box and attach a new, completed SC-100A for every two additional parties.

Filers may not understand the significance of the question, 'Is your claim for more than $2,500?'. Answering 'Yes' carries a legal declaration that you have not filed more than two such claims in a calendar year. Answering incorrectly can have legal consequences or lead to the dismissal of your case if you have exceeded the limit. You must accurately assess your claim amount and understand the filing limitations in California small claims court before answering.

The form includes a checkbox stating, 'This form is attached to form SC-100, item 1 or 2.' People often overlook this small but crucial detail. Forgetting to check this box can cause confusion for the court clerk, who may not know whether the attachment is for additional plaintiffs (item 1) or additional defendants (item 2). To avoid processing delays, ensure you check this box to clearly link this attachment to the main claim form. If your form is a non-fillable PDF, a tool like Instafill.ai can make it interactive to prevent missing such fields.