How Do I Prepare a Supplemental Affidavit?

In many family law court proceedings, it is not uncommon to have three, four or even fifteen affidavits prepared in the course of things. In most cases, the first affidavit describes the background facts about who the couple are, when they met, when they separated, who their children are and so forth. Affidavits after that usually update the court about events occurring since the previous affidavit was sworn.

New affidavits don't replace any of the previous affidavits, they just add to the written evidence in the court file. Each affidavit stands on its own.

To make a new affidavit after the first affidavit, follow all the steps described in How Do I Prepare an Affidavit? and make sure that you change the number of the affidavit given in the top right-hand corner of the first page. Instead of:

This is the 1st affidavit

of J.A. Doe in this case

and was made on 1 April 2013

...the second affidavit might read:

This is the 2nd affidavit

of J.A. Doe in this case

and was made on 15 April 2013

Apart from this minor change, affidavits prepared after the first affidavit are prepared in exactly the same way as the first affidavit was prepared.

Note that you can refer to previous affidavits in your new affidavit. Just be sure to identify the affidavit by the date the affidavit was made and by the person who made it. If you're going to be referring to specific parts of that affidavit, mention the paragraph numbers as well.

In my third affidavit, sworn on 10 August 2012, I state at paragraph 42 that I was the parent who was primarily responsible for taking the children to their medical appointments. I was also the parent primarily responsible to attending to the children's dental, counselling and therapeutic appointments. I was also the parent who attended the children's parent-teacher meetings.

The Respondent alleges, at paragraph 17 of his second affidavit, sworn on 1 August 2012, that he was the parent who booked and paid for the children's ballet and hockey lessons. The truth of the matter is that while he did pay for two or three of the children's hockey lessons, I was the parent who spoke to their coaches and instructors, arranged for their enrollment, and paid for the majority of the cost of these lessons.

For more information, see How Do I Prepare an Affidavit? and How Do I Fix an Error in an Affidavit or Add to an Affidavit?.

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by JP Boyd, March 24, 2013.

JP Boyd on Family Law © John-Paul Boyd and Courthouse Libraries BC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.

Normally referred to as the "Supreme Court of British Columbia," this court hears most of the trials in this province. The Supreme Court is a court of inherent jurisdiction and has no limits on the sorts of claims it can hear or on the sorts of orders it can make. Decisions of the Provincial Court are appealed to the Supreme Court; decisions of the Supreme Court are appealed to the Court of Appeal. See "Court of Appeal," "jurisdiction," "Provincial Court" and "Supreme Court of Canada."

A court established and staffed by the provincial government, which includes Small Claims Court, Youth Court, and Family Court. The Provincial Court is the lowest level of court in British Columbia and is restricted in the sorts of matters it can deal with. It is, however, the most accessible of the two trial courts and no fees are charged to begin or defend a family law proceeding. The Family Court of the Provincial Court cannot deal with the division of family property or any claims under the Divorce Act. See "Divorce Act," "judge" and "jurisdiction."

A legal document in which a person provides evidence of certain facts and events in writing. The person making the affidavit, the deponent, must confirm that the statements made in the affidavit are true by oath or affirmation. Affidavits must be signed in front of a lawyer, a notary public or a commissioner for taking oaths, who takes the oath or affirmation of the deponent. Affidavits are used as evidence, just as if the person making the affidavit had made the statements as a witness at trial. See "deponent", "affirm," "oath" and "witness."

Facts, or proof tending to support the existence of facts, presented to a judge at a hearing or trial. Evidence can be given through the oral testimony of witnesses, in writing as business records and other documents, or in the form of physical objects. Evidence must be admissible according to the rules of court and the rules of evidence. See "circumstantial evidence," "hearsay" and "testimony."

(1) In law, a court proceeding; a lawsuit; an action; a cause of action; a claim. (2) A historic decision of the court; case law. See "action," "case law, " "court proceeding," and "precedent."

A person who is younger than the legal age of majority, 19 in British Columbia. Not to be confused with "miner," which means something else altogether. See "age of majority."

In family law, the natural or adoptive father or mother of a child; may also include stepparents, depending on the circumstances and the applicable legislation; may include the donors of eggs or sperm and surrogate mothers, depending on the circumstances and the terms of any assisted reproduction agreement. See "adoptive parent," "assisted reproduction," "natural parent" and "stepparent."