Bischof v. Kern

Because the plaintiff, also defendant in counterclaim, believed that his landlord wrongfully held his security deposit in violation of G. L. c. 186, § 15, he opted, pro se, for the “simple, prompt, and informal means, at small expense, for adjudication of [his] claim[j” in the small claims session of the Boston Municipal Court. McLaughlin v. Levenbaum, 248 Mass. 170, 175-176 (1924). See G. L. c. 218, §§ 21-25. The defendant, seeking three months of rent in damages for the plaintiffs alleged breach of his written lease of the apartment, filed a counterclaim as permitted by Uniform Small Claims…