Porter v. Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District

Plaintiff Robert L. Porter appeals from an order of the circuit court of Champaign County dismissing with prejudice his pro se second-amended small claims complaint against defendant Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District. The question in this case really is how precise a small claims complaint must be in designating the theory on which a pro se plaintiff is proceeding. We reverse and remand for further proceedings.

The second-amended complaint alleged defendant was indebted to plaintiff in the sum of $276 for cleanup costs resulting from defendant’s negligent discharge of sewage into the lower…