Claudette Bean v. Red Oak Property Management, Inc.

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Hampshire affirmed a Manchester District Court small claims judgment denying return of a $595.00 security deposit. The court declined to reach the plaintiff's arguments — that the defendant should have been defaulted for missing the first scheduled hearing and that the unpaid rent, cleaning, and advertising charges were unsupported — because the record did not show she raised them below and she provided no transcript of the December 11, 2003 hearing. Absent a transcript, the court assumed the evidence was sufficient to support the result reached by the trial court. The court observed that even under the new mandatory appeal rules effective January 1, 2004, appealing parties remain responsible for furnishing a sufficient record.