Legal Definitions - No-answer default judgment

A no-answer default judgment is a court ruling issued in favor of the party who initiated a lawsuit (the plaintiff) because the opposing party (the defendant) failed to formally respond to the legal complaint within the timeframe required by law. Essentially, if a defendant does not file an "answer" or any other appropriate legal document to dispute the claims made against them, the court can decide the case in the plaintiff's favor without a trial.

• Example 1: Unpaid Business Loan

  A local bank files a lawsuit against a small business owner who defaulted on a business loan. The owner receives the official court summons and complaint but, feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to proceed, simply ignores the documents and does not file any response with the court. After the legally mandated period for responding expires, the bank's attorney requests a no-answer default judgment. The court grants this request, ordering the business owner to pay the full outstanding loan amount plus any accrued interest and fees.

  This illustrates a no-answer default judgment because the business owner, as the defendant, failed to file a formal answer to the bank's lawsuit, leading the court to rule in the bank's favor without further proceedings.

• Example 2: Property Damage Claim

  Sarah files a lawsuit against her neighbor, Mark, alleging that Mark's overgrown tree fell during a storm and caused significant damage to her fence. Mark receives the lawsuit papers but believes the damage was an "act of God" and not his responsibility, so he decides not to respond to the court. Sarah's attorney waits the required 30 days, and when no answer is filed by Mark, they move for a no-answer default judgment. The court then issues a judgment ordering Mark to pay for the fence repairs.

  This is a no-answer default judgment because Mark, the defendant, did not file a legal response to Sarah's complaint within the specified time, resulting in the court ruling in Sarah's favor for the damages claimed.

• Example 3: Breach of Service Contract

  A homeowner hires a contractor to remodel their kitchen, but the contractor abandons the project halfway through, leaving the kitchen unfinished and unusable. The homeowner sues the contractor for breach of contract and damages. The contractor is properly served with the lawsuit but has since moved out of state and decides not to engage with the legal process, failing to file an answer. The homeowner's lawyer then obtains a no-answer default judgment, allowing the homeowner to recover the money paid and the cost to hire a new contractor to complete the work.

  This demonstrates a no-answer default judgment because the contractor, despite being properly notified of the lawsuit, chose not to file a formal answer or appear in court, leading to a judgment against them in favor of the homeowner.