Home inspection deficiencies

I recently purchased a home, and had a pre-purchase inspection by a licensed inspector. The inspector reported the roof to be in good condition apart from a minor leak at the chimney (the language in the report explicitly says that the roof covering is good, except for this issue). However, as soon as we moved in the roof began to leak in at least four places, and further investigation found that there are several places in the attic where the wood decking is missing. I have had 3 different contractors over here to review the situation, and all 3 were appalled that a licensed inspector could miss these deficiencies. When confronted, the inspector claims that he stands by his report, and that he is neither bonded nor insured.

Question 1 is, are small claims courts friendly to suits against home inspectors for obvious mistakes by the inspector. Question 2 is, does it hurt my case that the inspector found the one leak (and indicated on his report that we should contact a roofer on this) even though it appears to be unrelated to the other leaks and missing decking.

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

You could likely prevail on this--except as to the one point that he did note.

I am a home inspector and can assure you that there is no such thing as a "minor leak" in a roof.

Ha, good observation. Kinda like a minor leak in a boat. Just not a good thing.