Can I appeal a small claims judgment?
In the United States? This answer is Québec and Canadian law. The US side of this site answers different questions, state by state: different law, and different coverage. Go to the US side
Short answer
No. In Quebec, a judgment rendered by the Small Claims Division is final and without appeal. The only recourse available is revocation of judgment, and only in specific situations connected to a default judgment.
In detail
That is the price of a simple procedure: no lawyers, no formalism, but no appeal either. The Gouvernement du Québec puts it without qualification: “The judgment rendered by the Small Claims Division is final and without appeal.”
Revocation is not an appeal in disguise. It targets the situation where a party condemned by default was unable, for a valid reason, to contest within the time limit or to appear at the hearing. The government says so expressly: a judgment cannot be set aside simply on the basis that the judge made a mistake.
That changes how you prepare a file. Since there is no second chance, everything you want the court to know has to be in the file before the hearing, within the time limits.
What to document
Before the hearing, everything: it is your only opportunity. Afterwards, if you are considering a revocation, note the date you learned the judgment existed · that is what starts the 30 days running.
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
Open the application Up to 3 files, no card · see the plans
And to put it in order: our free tools · number your exhibits, set your facts in date order, request a copy of your file. No account, and nothing leaves your browser.
Official sources
Related questions
- I got a default judgment can I have it cancelled?
- How long does the person have to pay me after the judgment?
- The person isn't paying me after the judgment what do I do?
- How do I garnish the wages of someone who isn't paying me?
- How much can be garnished from a salary in Quebec?
See all the answers · the full guide collection · Lire en français
What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.