D.F.
Not a mom...but a dad. I have been to small claims court in another state and it is pretty straight forward. There will be a judge, your husband and the plantiff. The judge will swear everyone in, and then each side will have a chance to tell their story. To best defend yourself, your husband should have any and all contracts or emails in regards to the original work to be done. If the work was not completed or not done properly, can it be proven? Does the original agreement spell out specificaly what was to be done..and then there can be photo evidence (as an example) that illustrates that the work was not completed. Also, the court is very big on attempts to "solve" the issue prior to filing a claim. Did your husband contact the other individual and complain about the work and request it be completed correctly? Do you have proof of this? Without proof or documentation this can turn into a he said-she said. If you have documentation that your husband attempted to contact the other individual and work this out or express displeasure AND offered the other individual the chance to fix the problem and that individual chose not to, then you will be in great shape. Remember to bring everything to court" photos, emails, contracts, cancelled checks, etc.
Good luck
