Maine Small Claims Court Zoom Hearing: What to Expect

Some Maine Hearings Are on Zoom

Maine District Courts may conduct small claims hearings in person or remotely via Zoom, at the court's discretion. Check your Notice of Small Claims Hearing and the court's instructions to confirm how you must attend.

If your hearing is on Zoom, the process is the same as an in-person hearing — informal, judge-led, with both sides presenting evidence and testimony. The format is different, but the rules and stakes are identical.

Before the Hearing

Check your Zoom link. Follow the court's instructions for getting the meeting link and joining. Log in early to test your connection and be ready at the scheduled time.

Prepare your ID. You'll be asked to hold up a valid photo ID to the camera at the start of the hearing for identification.

Submit exhibits in advance. This is the biggest difference from in-person hearings. The court clerk will instruct you on how to submit your evidence before the hearing date. Methods vary by court:

• Email the exhibits to the clerk's office by a specified deadline
• Upload through eFileMaine if your county is on the eCourts system
• Mail physical copies to the court and the opposing party

Follow the clerk's instructions exactly. If you're told to email exhibits by a certain date, don't wait until the morning of the hearing. Late submissions may not be accepted.

Have physical copies ready anyway. Keep a printed set of your evidence at your desk during the hearing. The judge may ask you to hold a document up to the camera, or you may need to reference something during testimony.

During the Hearing

Find a quiet, private location. Background noise, other people talking, and interruptions affect how the judge perceives your testimony. A closed room with a stable internet connection is ideal. Don't join from a car, a coffee shop, or a shared office space if you can avoid it.

Mute when you're not speaking. The judge will direct who speaks and when — follow their lead. Unmute only when it's your turn.

Look at the camera, not the screen. It feels unnatural, but looking at the camera creates eye contact with the judge. Looking at the other party's video feed makes it look like you're looking down.

Speak clearly and slowly. Audio quality on video calls can be inconsistent. Pause between sentences. If the judge or the other party can't hear you, they'll ask you to repeat — take that cue.

Presenting Evidence on Zoom

If the judge wants to see a specific document during the hearing:

• Share your screen if the judge allows it. Navigate to the document before the hearing so you're not searching through folders on camera.
• Hold it up to the camera if screen sharing isn't available. Make sure the document is well-lit and legible — a phone camera pointed at a printed page sometimes works better than holding paper up to a laptop webcam.

The pre-submitted exhibits are the primary evidence. Anything you show live during the hearing supplements what the court already has.

Technical Problems

If your connection drops mid-hearing, contact the court clerk's office immediately. A connection problem does not automatically change the hearing date or excuse nonappearance; ask the court how to proceed and do not assume the hearing has been postponed.

If you know in advance that your internet connection is unreliable, contact the clerk before the hearing date and ask whether the court will consider another way to attend.

Can You Request Zoom Instead of In-Person?

If your hearing is scheduled in person but you need a remote hearing, contact the clerk's office and ask whether the court will consider one. The court decides whether to conduct the hearing remotely.

The Responding to a Small Claims Case in Maine guide covers both in-person and remote hearing preparation, including the evidence submission process, what to expect during the call of the list, and how CADRES mediation works in virtual settings.

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