Beware of people in the courtroom that promise to help you for a couple hundred dollars. This is something you can do yourself for free.
Appealing as pauper
If you are unable to post an appeal or cash bond, and pay court costs, you still may appeal your eviction case to county court by filing an affidavit of inability and appeal the case as a pauper. The deadline for filing the affidavit is the same as appealing using an appeal or cash bond (five days from the judgment counting weekends).
If the court accepts your affidavit and the landlord does not challenge it, then you can appeal the case without posting a bond or paying costs. However, a landlord can file a protest with the J.P. court and require you to attend a hearing to provide testimony of your financial situation. If the court agrees with your landlord, the judge may require you to post a bond and pay costs to appeal the eviction (this decision can independently be appealed to the county court).
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are appealing an eviction case that was filed because of nonpayment of rent and you are appealing as a pauper by filing an affidavit of inability, then within five days of filing your affidavit you must deposit one rental payment with the J.P. court, and in the future continue to pay regular rental payments into the county court registry within five days of the due date under the lease. If you do not comply, you could be removed from the premises while your appeal is pending.
