Default judgment is what happens when a defendant fails to answer a complaint or fails to appear in the case. We typically see this when a party who was properly served failed to respond to a complaint. It's important to note that there's a difference between "default" and "default judgment". Default is the first stage of this and occurs when somebody fails to answer the complaint after they've been properly served. That is tantamount to admitting all of the allegations in the complaint.

After default has been entered, the court can then enter default judgment, which is judgment on the liability. In other words, entering damages on the claims that you have made in the complaint that the defendant didn't answer. Default and default judgment are not a good place to be. It's important that if you're served with a complaint, you answer it. We certainly recommend hiring an attorney to do that.

For more information, visit https://burnhamlaw.com