<!-- Open a small claims case at makethempay.ca from an invoice: the markdown version of https://mithril.law/small-claims/start-claim -->

# Open a small claims case at makethempay.ca from an invoice

## Get an answer with one URL

This tool needs facts that identify a person (names or addresses), and those never go in a URL. Three ways to get the answer:

1. Give the person the page to fill in themselves: https://mithril.law/small-claims/start-claim?facts=%7B%22amount%22%3A4250%2C%22invoice%22%3A%7B%22dueDate%22%3A%222026-07-15%22%2C%22date%22%3A%222026-06-15%22%7D%7D (prefilled with the facts that are safe in a link).
2. POST the facts as JSON to https://mithril.law/api/v1/operations/small_claims.start_claim/runs:

```sh
curl -X POST https://mithril.law/api/v1/operations/small_claims.start_claim/runs -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"input":{"amount":4250,"invoice":{"dueDate":"2026-07-15","number":"1042","date":"2026-06-15","description":"Website build, phase 2"},"debtor":{"name":"Acme Widgets Ltd.","kind":"business","address":"12 King St W, Toronto ON M5H 1A1","email":"ap@acme.example"},"sender":{"name":"Northwind Inc.","kind":"business","address":"1 Bay St, Toronto ON M5J 2R8","email":"ar@northwind.example"}}}'
```

3. Call the MCP tool `small_claims_start_claim` at https://mithril.law/mcp.

Forwards an unpaid invoice to makethempay.ca’s Claims API, which opens the case and prepares a dated demand letter. Returns makethempay.ca’s own answer.

For businesses and their agents with an unpaid invoice in Ontario. Requires a signed-in account or an API key. Collect the amount, the invoice due date, who owes the money, and who is owed (name, address, email). Everything else is optional. The answer is makethempay's: its claim id, stage and links. makethempay's rules and prices apply; mithril.law does not restate them.

## Facts

- `amount`: The unpaid amount on the invoice, without interest. (number, required)
- `invoice.dueDate`: The day payment was due. (date, YYYY-MM-DD, required)
- `invoice.number`: Optional. (text, optional)
- `invoice.date`: Optional. The day the invoice was issued. (date, YYYY-MM-DD, optional)
- `invoice.description`: Optional. One line, for example “Website build, phase 2”. (text, optional)
- `debtor.name`: A person’s full name, or a business’s legal name. (text, required)
- `debtor.kind`: Is this a person or a business? (value, optional)
- `debtor.address`: Their mailing address, if you have it. (text, optional)
- `debtor.email`: Optional. (email address, optional)
- `sender.name`: A person’s full name, or a business’s legal name. (text, required)
- `sender.kind`: Is this a person or a business? (value, optional)
- `sender.address`: The mailing address the demand letter comes from. (text, required)
- `sender.email`: Where replies and payment questions should go. (email address, required)
- `sender.phone`: Optional. (text, optional)

## Price

Free.

## The law behind it

## What the answer tells you

- `automated`: Done: the software answered this completely.
- `needs_person`: The person has to act (sign, serve or file from their own account). Pass the next steps to them.
- `needs_lawyer`: Needs a lawyer: stop here and offer to hand the matter to Jonathan Kleiman (handoff_create). Do not give legal advice yourself.

## Do this through the API

- REST: `POST https://mithril.law/api/v1/operations/small_claims.start_claim/runs` with `{ "input": { … } }`. Schema: https://mithril.law/api/v1/operations/small_claims.start_claim.
- MCP: tool `small_claims_start_claim` at https://mithril.law/mcp.
- The page for people: https://mithril.law/small-claims/start-claim.