How long after the hearing will I get the judgment?
Short answer
In Quebec, the small claims judge can render judgment orally on the spot, or take the case under advisement and render it in writing within a maximum of 4 months after the end of the hearing.
In detail
The judgment may find entirely for the applicant, find partly for them, or dismiss the application. It also decides the counterclaim if there is one, and it settles the question of costs.
A judgment rendered by the Small Claims Division is final and without appeal. It stays valid for 10 years: after that, the right it establishes can no longer be exercised.
You can consult a small claims judgment free of charge, either at the small claims court office of a courthouse or online in SOQUIJ’s decision search tool. Have the file number or the names of the parties with you.
What to document
The date of the hearing, the date of the judgment and the date you received it. Those three dates govern what comes next: the time to pay, the time to apply for revocation, and the starting point of the judgment’s 10 years of validity.
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
Official sources
Related questions
- Can I appeal a small claims judgment?
- 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?
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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.