How to Deny a Small Claims Claim in Oregon and Request a Hearing

Denying the Claim: What It Means

Checking the "deny" box on Oregon's Defendant's Response form (SC-Response) tells the court two things: you dispute what the plaintiff says, and you want a hearing where a judge decides based on evidence. You do not need to explain your full defense on the form — the hearing is where both sides present their case.

Denial does not mean you automatically win. It means the plaintiff cannot get a judgment without proving their case in front of a judge.

How to File the Denial

1. Get the form. For Circuit Court cases, the Defendant's Response (SC-Response, January 2026 version) should have been included in the papers served to you. You can also download it from the OJD website or generate one through Guide & File. Justice Courts may use different forms.

2. Check the correct box. Select "I deny this claim and request a hearing" (the exact wording may vary slightly). Do not also check the payment box, which is for admitting and paying the claim in full.

3. Pay the appearance fee. For Circuit Court claims up to $2,500, the fee is $57. For claims over $2,500 up to $10,000, it is $102. Justice Courts set separate fee schedules. Submit the fee with your response. If you cannot pay, file a fee waiver application (Form AFF-1) alongside the response.

4. File within 30 days of service. The response and fee must be received by the court clerk — a postmark is not sufficient.

What Happens After You Deny

The clerk dockets your response and the court schedules a hearing. In many Oregon counties, you will first be sent to mediation before a trial date is set:

• Multnomah County runs pre-trial small claims mediation at the courthouse.
• Yamhill County routes cases through Neighbor-to-Neighbor for remote mediation via Zoom. You will need to email [email protected] with your name, case number, and contact details.

If mediation fails or your county skips it, you get a hearing date. Oregon small claims hearings are informal — no formal rules of evidence, no opening statements. The judge hears both sides, looks at the documents, asks questions, and issues a decision.

Preparing for the Hearing

Between filing and the hearing, build your evidence file:

• Contracts and agreements — the original deal, change orders, written exchanges about scope or price
• Receipts and invoices — what you paid, what was delivered
• Photos — condition of property, work completed (or not), damage
• Communications — emails, text messages, letters that show what was agreed or what went wrong
• Witnesses — anyone who saw the work, the transaction, or the condition being disputed

Bring three copies of every document to the hearing: one for the judge, one for the plaintiff, one for yourself. This is sometimes called the Three-Copy Rule, and judges expect it.

Partial Denial Is Also an Option

You can deny part of the claim while acknowledging another part. For example, if the plaintiff says you owe $3,000 for a contractor's work but you believe only $1,200 was earned, you deny the full amount and explain the partial acknowledgment at the hearing. The form does not have a "partial deny" checkbox — you check "deny" and present your argument about the correct amount in front of the judge.

When Denying Might Not Be the Right Move

If the plaintiff's claim is valid and you know it, denying prolongs the case and adds costs. Admitting and paying avoids a hearing entirely. Settling before the hearing date — through mediation or a direct agreement — is also an option at any point.

The Oregon Small Claims Response Guide walks through each response option with a decision flowchart, so you can weigh denial against counterclaiming, settling, or paying.

See more Oregon guides →