True or False: A defendant who does not respond to a summons and complaint may suffer a default judgment.

True or False: A defendant who does not respond to a summons and complaint may suffer a default judgment.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Not sure
• D. Sometimes

Answer: (B)

If a defendant who has been properly served with a summons and complaint does not file a response, the court may enter a default judgment against them. This happens because the defendant’s failure to plead or defend is treated as an admission of the plaintiff’s factual allegations, allowing the court to grant the relief requested in the complaint. The process usually involves the plaintiff requesting the court to enter default, and, if the amount of damages isn’t specified, a separate step may determine those damages. The defendant can sometimes seek to have the default set aside for good cause, but the default judgment remains the typical result of no responsive pleading.

If a defendant who has been properly served with a summons and complaint does not file a response, the court may enter a default judgment against them. This happens because the defendant’s failure to plead or defend is treated as an admission of the plaintiff’s factual allegations, allowing the court to grant the relief requested in the complaint. The process usually involves the plaintiff requesting the court to enter default, and, if the amount of damages isn’t specified, a separate step may determine those damages. The defendant can sometimes seek to have the default set aside for good cause, but the default judgment remains the typical result of no responsive pleading.