ORS 52.320: Counterclaim exceeding jurisdiction; transfer to circuit court; time allowed plaintiff to plead; costs; effect of failure to tender costs.

In all actions instituted in a justice court a defendant shall have the right to plead a counterclaim in excess of the jurisdiction of the court, whereupon the justice of the peace shall, within 10 days following the filing of the answer, file with the clerk of the circuit court for the county in which the justice court is located, a transcript of the cause containing a copy of all the material entries in the justice’s docket, together with all the original papers relating to the cause. Upon the filing of the transcript with the clerk of the circuit court, the justice of the peace shall proceed no further in the cause, but the cause shall thenceforth be considered as transferred to the circuit court and be deemed pending and for trial therein as if originally commenced in the court. The circuit court shall have jurisdiction of the cause and shall proceed to hear, determine and try the same. In the event of the justice’s failure to file the transcript in the circuit court within the time specified, the judge of the circuit court may make an order upon the justice to comply within a specified time with the provisions of this section. The plaintiff in the action shall have 10 days after the filing of the transcript in the circuit court in which to move against or reply to defendant’s answer. All costs incurred in the transfer of the case, including the fee for filing the same in the circuit court, shall be borne by the defendant and must be tendered by the defendant to the justice of the peace at the time of filing with the justice the counterclaim, and the costs may be recovered by the defendant in the event the defendant prevails. On failure of the defendant to pay to the justice of the peace the required fee at the time of filing the counterclaim, or within two days thereafter, the justice of the peace shall disregard the counterclaim of the defendant and proceed to try the cause as though the counterclaim had never been filed. [Amended by 1979 c.284 §86] (Trial Fees)