Supreme Court, Erie County (Buffalo)
Supreme Court hears larger money claims and anything that needs equitable relief: injunctions, specific performance, business dissolution, real property disputes and complex commercial cases. Most merchant cash advance and guaranty lawsuits are filed here. Each case is assigned to a justice who manages it through discovery, motions and trial.
District, city, town and village courts
Smaller money disputes go to Buffalo City Court, 50 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, plus other city, town and village courts. These courts handle unpaid invoices, consumer debt collection, security deposits and contract claims below their monetary limit. Procedure is lighter and cases move faster than in Supreme Court.
Specialty parts
The Commercial Division takes qualifying business cases above its monetary threshold and applies its own rules on discovery and motions. Small claims parts let individuals bring modest claims without a lawyer, and commercial claims parts let small businesses do the same. Housing matters, estates and family matters each have their own courts or parts.