When do I have to file my evidence with the court?
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
In Quebec small claims, file your evidence within 10 days after the legal filing of your application or defence. Additional evidence is due at least 30 days before the hearing. These deadlines concern small claims; another court or a decision on the record can involve different instructions.
In detail
Use the List of exhibits (SJ-840) and file at the courthouse in person or by mail, not online. Number the claimant's exhibits P1, P2 and so on, and the defendant's D1, D2; include the court file number.
The SJ-840 instructions call for the list with the original exhibits. Keep copies for yourself and your hearing preparation: do not assume the originals must always stay at home. For a judgment on the record, the form refers to the deadline specified by the clerk.
For ordinary civil proceedings, article 250 generally requires filing 15 days before trial, or at least 3 days ahead when trial is scheduled less than 15 days away. It also recognizes earlier filing for a pre-trial conference, a different deadline set by the court, and filing with the request for default judgment. Do not apply the small-claims timetable to every court file.
What to document
Keep the legal-filing confirmation, hearing notice, exhibit list, copies of submitted documents and proof of delivery. Record each deadline separately and retain any special instruction from the clerk or court.
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.
Free tool
Once you know the deadline, what you file still has to be prepared. The tool numbers your exhibits and prints the list you file plus one label per document. It calculates no deadline: for that, the page above points you to the official source.
Official sources
- Québec Justice — Evidence in small claims
- Québec Justice — SJ-840 instructions (French PDF)
- Code of Civil Procedure, article 250
Related questions
- How do I identify and number my exhibits?
- Do I have to give my evidence to the other party before the hearing?
- How do I get a witness to come to the hearing?
- Do I have to pay my witness to come and testify?
- What if my witness refuses to show up?
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.