Palmer c. Duchesne, 2026 QCCQ 4883

A Quebec small-claims filing remained unserved more than a year after it was submitted. Rather than leaving the litigant to decide how to address the expired notification period, the court registry brought its own request for an extension. In Palmer c. Duchesne, 2026 QCCQ 4883, the judge held the registry lacked statutory authority and standing to make that request. The opposing party had not been notified, infringing procedural fairness. The request was declared inadmissible without costs. The judge also identified altered and missing court register entries but did not attribute intent, acknowledging the possibility of administrative error. This was a ruling about registry neutrality and process, not the merits of the underlying private claim.