Defence / answer draft
Prepare defence / answer draft using your own facts, evidence and verified legal grounds.
Québec small claims only: SJ-871E is completed online, not as a blank PDF. This app’s PDF or Word draft is not the official response and does not stop a deadline.
Need to keep your residential address confidential? The official instructions say not to use the online form in that situation. Contact the courthouse before proceeding.
Read the official response instructions and access SJ-871E ↗
No app purchase is needed to access that official service. Check court costs and exemptions separately.
What you will prepare
- Response to each numbered allegation
- Material facts (one paragraph per fact)
- Legal grounds and authorities you have verified
- Orders or relief requested
Information to have ready
Case reference, court and jurisdiction, party names, author contact details, relevant dates and your supporting exhibits. Provide verified legal grounds where requested; the tool does not invent authorities or facts.
Review before filing
Confirm that this document is appropriate for the proceeding, use any mandatory official form, check confidentiality and redactions, and complete required signatures, swearing and service. A draft export is not a filing or proof of service.
Québec small claims: from preparation to the official response
This checklist concerns a response in Québec small claims only. The generic drafting tool is not the prescribed SJ-871E form and does not file a defence or suspend a deadline. Other proceedings require their own review.
Read the application you received promptly. The official decision guidance specifies 20 days from receipt to indicate your choice. It describes contesting, a cross-application, settlement and payment; this guide does not select a strategy or calculate your deadline. Confirm the applicable date with the court office.
Use the real court file number shown on the received application. Prepare relevant dates, disputed facts and supporting records. Identify the source of each detail and distinguish observations, reported information and interpretations. Keep uncertain dates and missing records explicit.
Follow the official online SJ-871E instructions for your response, including the residential-address warning above. Keep the court’s actual acknowledgments. The official instructions tie formal filing to the court office receiving the form and payment of court costs. Confirm any applicable exemption with the court office. An app download does not send or file a response or guarantee acceptance.
Check current court costs and exemptions separately from app export prices. The official tariff identifies exemptions involving last-resort financial assistance or a legal-aid attestation; confirm the required documents and conditions with the court office. An app purchase does not pay court costs.
Negotiating a settlement does not remove the obligation to respond within the applicable time limit. If an agreement is reached, follow the official instructions for informing the courthouse. Recording negotiations or an agreement in this draft does not notify the court.
If you are late or think a judgment may already exist, contact the court office promptly. The contestation guidance distinguishes receipt of a late defence before judgment from the judge’s decision to accept it. This is not a guaranteed extension. A draft or upload does not undo a default judgment; any revocation procedure requires separate review.
Official sources
Official SJ-871E response instructions ↗
Response options and receipt-based time limit ↗
Contesting and the limits of a late response ↗
Gouvernement du Québec sources consulted October 9, 2026 (UTC). Response-form pages: January 20, 2026. Decision, contestation, settlement and payment pages: October 20, 2025. Tariff page: April 14, 2026. Recheck before use.