WEST virginia legislature
2016 regular session
Committee Substitute
for
Senate Bill 274
By Senator Walters
[Originating in the Committee on the Judiciary; reported on February 20, 2016.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §50-2-1 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to increasing the civil jurisdictional amount in magistrate courts from $5,000 to $10,000; and allowing circuit courts to send cases at or under the jurisdictional amount to magistrate courts for trial.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §50-2-1 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. JURISDICTION AND AUTHORITY.
§50-2-1. Civil jurisdiction.
Except as limited herein
and in addition to jurisdiction granted elsewhere to magistrate courts, such
courts shall have jurisdiction of all civil actions wherein the value or amount
in controversy or the value of property sought, exclusive of interest and cost,
is not more than $5,000 $10,000. Circuit courts may send any civil
case where the amount in controversy is $10,000 or less to magistrate
courts for trial. Magistrate courts shall have jurisdiction of all matters
involving unlawful entry or detainer of real property or involving wrongful
occupation of residential rental property, so long as the title to such
property is not in dispute. Except as the same may be in conflict with the
provisions of this chapter, the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-five
of this code, regarding unlawful entry and detainer, shall apply to such
actions in magistrate court. Magistrate courts shall have jurisdiction of
actions on bonds given pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. Magistrate
courts shall have continuing jurisdiction to entertain motions in regard to
post-judgment process issued from magistrate court and decisions thereon may be
appealed in the same manner as judgments.
Magistrate courts shall
do not have jurisdiction of actions in equity, of matters in eminent
domain, of matters in which the title to real estate is in issue, of
proceedings seeking satisfaction of liens through the sale of real estate, of
actions for false imprisonment, of actions for malicious prosecution or of
actions for slander or libel or of any of the extraordinary remedies set forth
in chapter fifty-three of this code.
Magistrates, magistrate court clerks, magistrate court deputy clerks and magistrate assistants shall have the authority to administer any oath or affirmation, to take any affidavit or deposition, unless otherwise expressly provided by law, and to take, under such regulations as are prescribed by law, the acknowledgment of deeds and other writings.