How do you respond to a Judgement against you?
To fight a creditor’s attempts to gain a judgement against you, you’ll need to respond to the Summons and Complaint by providing an Answer to the court within the appropriate amount of time. Your Answer should include a request for the creditor to prove the validity of the debt.
How many days do you have to reply to an answer?
Deadline to File your Response: After you are served, you have 30 days to file a typed response with the Court, counting holidays and weekends.
What do you say in court when you don’t want to answer?
If your answer was not correctly stated, correct or clarify it immediately. Don’t say, “that’s all of the conversation” or “nothing else happened.” Instead say, “that’s all I recall” or “that’s all I remember happening.” It may be that after more thought or another question, you may remember something important.
What happens if you don’t respond to a lawsuit?
If you don’t file a response 30 days after you were served, the Plaintiff can file a form called “Request for Default”. The Plaintiff will win the case. Then, the Plaintiff can enforce the judgment against you. This can mean getting money from you by garnishing your paycheck or putting a lien on your house or car.
What happens if you ignore a Judgement?
If you ignore the lawsuit, the court will enter an automatic judgment against you, known as a default judgment. 1 Of course, even if you file an answer to the lawsuit, you can still lose the case.
What is a letter of response?
A response letter provides the answers or information requested in a letter of inquiry. The objective is to satisfy the reader with an action that fulfills their request.
How do I file an answer to a summons?
Visit the court where the claim was filed. The address can be found on the summons you received. Tell the court clerk you are filing an answer to a summons. Sign the response form in the presence of the court clerk. If there’s a fee for filing, pay the fee.
What happens if you do not respond to a summons?
You may find your wages garnished, your bank account levied or your property seized. In some cases, though, choosing not to respond to the summons and complaint may be advantageous, such as when you have no defense to raise and no ability to pay.
How old do you have to be to respond to a summons?
As the defendant, you cannot deliver the response personally, but you can commission someone who is 18 or older to deliver it on your behalf. There are typically deadlines associated with delivering your response to the plaintiff.
What to look for in a court summons?
It will also tell you what the party suing you, the plaintiff, is asking for. You will also find key details, such as what court is hearing the case, the civil action or case number, the date of the summons, a court clerk’s signature and, often, the name and contact info for the plaintiff’s attorney.