Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Suing roommates for their portion of utilities

I bought a house from my parents and rented part of it out to two roommates. When the roommates moved out, they had caused considerable damage to the haouse which they did not repair and failed to reimburse me for some of the utilities that I had paid on their behalf.

I filed a case in small claims to recover damage to the house and the unpaid utility bills. Because the title of the house was still in my parents' name during my roommates tenancy, the judge took my name off the suit and put my parents on as plaintiffs, and awarded them $300 of the $1200 claim. He didn't specify what the award was for.

Since I had paid the utility bills directly to the utility company, can I now file another claim to recover the part of the utilities that my roommates failed to reimburse me for? Since the utilities were handled directly through me, is that something the judge could have ruled on in the initial case if I was not listed as a plaintiff in that case?

Thanks for your help.

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