Rule 34.1 Oral Answers and Counterclaims to Civil Actions

If you are being sued in magistrate court, you can respond to the case by simply showing up and telling your side of the story out loud. You do not have to write anything yourself or hire a lawyer to prepare paperwork.

A clerk or judge will listen to what you say and write it down for you. You will then sign what they wrote, and it gets added to the official case file.

If you want to make a counterclaim, meaning you want to sue the other person back, you can do that the same way. Just tell the clerk or judge what your claim is, and they will handle the written part for you.