Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 76.djvu/1219

 76 STAT.]

PUBLIC LAW 87-873-OCT. 23, 1962

1171

Public Law 87-873 AN ACT October 23, 1962 [H. R. 12708] To increase the jurisdiction of the Municipal Court for the District of Columbia in civil actions, to change the names of the court, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the court established by the first section of the Act entitled "An Act to consolidate the Police Court of the District of Columbia and the Municipal Court of the District of Columbia, to be known as 'the Municipal Court for the District of Columbia', to create 'the Municipal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia', arid for other purposes", approved April 1, 1942, as amended (56 Stat. 190; D.C. Code, sec. 11-751), hereafter shall be known as the "District of Columbia Court of General Sessions". Whenever reference is made in any Act of Congress (other than this Act or the amendments made by this Act) or in any regulation to the Municipal Court for the District of Columbia, such reference shall be held to be a reference to the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions. SEC. 2. Subsection (a) of section 4 of such Act, approved April 1, 1942, as amended (D.C. Code, sec. 11-755(a)), is amended to read as follows: " (a) The District of Columbia Court of General Sessions, as established by this Act, shall consist of the criminal, civil, and small claims and conciliation, and domestic relations branches. The court and each judge thereof shall have and exercise the same powers and jurisdiction as were heretofore had or exercised by the Municipal Court for the District of Columbia or the judges thereof on the day before the effective date of this amendatory subsection, and in addition the said court shall have exclusive jurisdiction of civil actions commenced after the effective date of this amendatory subsection, including such actions against executors, administrators and other fiduciaries, in which the claimed value of personal property or the debt or damages claimed, does not exceed the sum of $10,000 exclusive of interest and costs, and, in addition, shall have jurisdiction of all cross-claims and counterclaims interposed in all actions over which it has jurisdiction regardless of the amount involved: Provided, however, That nothing herein shall deprive the United States District Court for the District of Columbia of jurisdiction over counterclaims, cross-claims, or any other claims whether or not arising out of the same transaction or occurrence and interposed in actions over which the United States District Court for the District of Columbia has jurisdiction. The District of Columbia Court of General Sessions shall also have jurisdiction over all cases properly pending in the Municipal Court for the District of Columbia on the effective date of this amendatory subsection." SEC. 3. Subsection (a) of section 5 of such Act approved April 1, 1942, as amended (D.C. Code, sec. 11-756(a)), is amended to read as follows: " (a) If, in any action, other than an action for equitable relief, pending on the effective date of this amendatory subsection or thereafter commenced in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, it shall appear to the satisfaction of the court at or subsequent to any pretrial hearing but prior to trial thereof that the action

District oi' Columbia Court of General Sessions. Designation.

Powers and jurisdiction.

Transfer of actions. 56 Stat. 193.

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