Civil Court, Kings County
Civil Court is the workhorse for ordinary money disputes: unpaid invoices, consumer debt collection, property damage, security-deposit fights and breach of contract below the court's monetary ceiling. Procedure is governed largely by the New York City Civil Court Act and the CPLR. Cases move faster than in Supreme Court, discovery is lighter, and judges expect concise papers. For a small business chasing an unpaid customer, this is usually the right room.
Supreme Court, Kings County
Despite the name, Supreme Court is New York's general trial court. It hears larger money claims and anything requiring equitable relief — injunctions, specific performance, dissolution of a business, disputes over title to real property, and complex commercial matters. Motion practice is heavier, discovery is broader, and the case will be assigned to a judge who manages it from filing to trial. Expect a longer timeline and a higher cost of admission.
The specialty parts
Inside those courts sit specialized parts: Small Claims for modest individual claims, Commercial Claims for business claimants, the Housing Part for landlord-tenant proceedings, the Consumer Debt part for collection cases, and Surrogate's Court for estates. Each part has its own calendar rhythm, its own clerk's office practices, and often its own set of judge's rules that are not printed anywhere in the CPLR.
Getting it wrong
File a claim above the jurisdictional limit in Civil Court and you will be told to waive the excess or start over in Supreme Court. File an eviction proceeding as an ordinary civil action and it will be dismissed. Bring an equitable claim to Small Claims and the judge cannot grant the relief you want. Confirm the court, the part and the monetary limit before you pay a filing fee.