Small Claims Court for Payment — Ohio

I'm in a difficult situation in Ohio and trying to figure out my next steps.

Stripe holding $15K for 90 days. I've been dealing with this for about 3 weeks now and the situation isn't improving.

The amount being held/disputed is approximately $25,804. I have tried contacting their legal department 6 times with no resolution.

Do I have a strong case? What should my next steps be?

This happened to me too. Have you tried filing a complaint with the relevant agency? In my case they investigated and it got resolved without needing a lawyer.

Have you tried reaching out to your state's labor board? They sometimes have free resources or mediation services.

NAL, but from what I've read, you should document everything. That said, definitely get a lawyer to look at the specifics.

I've dealt with this before.

The biggest mistake people make in this situation is filing with the appropriate government agency. I'd recommend gathering evidence first instead.

Attorney here. Here's my take on the legal issues.

There are several legal theories that could apply here. The strongest is probably Regulation E, which requires showing an unauthorized electronic fund transfer.

The practical consideration here is cost vs. potential recovery. For disputes under $10K, small claims court is often the best route.

I've seen this play out several times in my field.

I ended up escalating to a supervisor/manager, which cost about $1-3 but saved me a lot more in the long run.

I've seen this play out several times in my field.

The biggest mistake people make in this situation is having everything documented. I'd recommend keeping a detailed timeline instead.

I went through almost the exact same thing.

The biggest mistake people make in this situation is filing with the appropriate government agency. I'd recommend gathering evidence first instead.

Not a lawyer, but I have direct experience with this.

I ended up having everything documented, which cost about $3-6 but saved me a lot more in the long run.

This happened to me too. Have you tried filing a complaint with the relevant agency? In my case they investigated and it got resolved without needing a lawyer.

Been there. Here's what I learned.

The biggest mistake people make in this situation is filing with the appropriate government agency. I'd recommend gathering evidence first instead.