Courts & Tickets
Anatomy of a Court Notice
Court paper has a fixed floorplan — caption, case number, command, deadline, signature, proof of service. Here's each zone translated, and the two lines that tell you whether the document is even real.
Buying & Contracts
Gift Card Law: Which Card You're Holding Decides Whether It Can Expire
Federal law says gift card money lasts at least five years — unless the card is one of six kinds the rule leaves out. How to sort the card in your hand, the fee and expiration rules for each, what four states add, and what happens when the store closes.
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Before you file in small claims
Look up your state's dollar cap — with the court that hears the case and the official source for every number, checked September 2026 — then walk through the process in order.
- Small-claims limit by statePick a state to see its small-claims dollar cap, the court that hears the case, and the official source — all 50 states and DC.Open the lookup
- Small claims, start to finishThe demand letter, filing, serving the other side, the hearing and collecting — what each step costs and where people get surprised.Read the explainer
