Finding the legal name of a business?

Question

I over paid a medical bill to a California hospital that is operated as a non profit organization. They have financial problems, and seem unwilling to refund my money. It is getting to the point that I am going to have to file a small claims court action against them to recover the money due me. To properly file in small claims court I must give their correct legal name. I have tried the California Secretary of State's Business Registry, but can't find listings for non profits. How can I find their legal name.

Answer 1

All Non Profits have to register with the sos. I was just on their website today and notice the charity search is down for repair and referred browsers to Guidestar.org.

You may want to check the library for the NOLO book on small claims, if you haven't already done so.

They may be listed under a different name. If you can find there CA Corp. Number or EIN, it may help you to find them.

Poke around their website. Or try calling for and asking someone for the EIN number, tell them your accountant is asking for it, or something, you could get lucky.

And don't file until after Nov. 1 when Mercury is no longer retrograde.

Good lunch.

Answer 2

According to the California secretary of state, you were looking in the right place. They are filed like any other corporation.

Are you sure it is a corporation? It might be unincorporated. Same web site just look under LLC and LP.

http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/business.htm

These searches can be hard because the name may be very similar or it may be doing buisness as one name and be incorporated in another name.

Answer 3

Contact your local Chamber of Commerce. They'll know where to look. All states keep a registry of 501(c)(3) organizations, or "non profits".

Answer 4

i think the suitable term right that's "commerce call". that's often first come, first serve. you could not use a matching sounding call. you could write them a stop-and-desist letter. If that would not paintings you will might desire to get a criminal injunction. in case you have a commerce call like "Johnson Motor Works" yet another company can not pass in down the line as "Johnson Motor Works and Lube" because of the fact this is too comparable. purely like McDonalds, you're unlikely to work out different burger joints named "MacDonalds" or "Mickey Donalds" because of the fact McDonalds is going to take quick action to guard their commerce call.