how to answer a summons without an attorney in georgia

You must serve your opponent with a copy of your Answer and Counterclaim. Mail a copy of your Answer to the attorney representing your opponent, or directly to your opponent if s/he has no attorney. Mail your answer to the address which was stated on the Summons which you received. The Certificate of Service which you completed and filed with the court is your proof to the court that you did mail a copy of your Answer to your opponent.

Full Answer

Can I ignore a summons without an attorney?

Oct 08, 2021 · According to Georgia's debt collection laws, a defendant generally has 30 days to file an answer to a summons and complaint after it has been served. If there are extenuating circumstances that delayed service of process, you could potentially ask the court for an extension and obtain an additional 15 days to file a response.

Why can't I file an answer to a summons and complaint?

How Do I Answer A Summons Without A Lawyer In Georgia? Your answer will be reviewed. The court clerk’s office where a lawsuit was filed can help you with that. If you receive a summons, you’ll be contacted for a telephone number and email address for the clerk. It will be your chance to get detailed information on your answer from the clerk ...

What to do if you receive a summons to appear in court?

If you look at the SUMMONS, which often is the first page of the papers that you received from the Court, you will notice that it demands that you Answer the complaint within 28 days after you are served with the Summons. YOU MUST FILE YOUR ANSWER WITHIN 28 DAYS. The page immediately below the Summons should be the first page of the Complaint against

How long does a defendant have to respond to a summons?

You must respond to the summons and complaint or a default judgment may be entered against you! Fortunately, as you will see, the basics of filing an answer to a lawsuit in Georgia are not nearly as complicated as they first seem. With the Georgia Answer to Civil Complaint Form packet you will learn how to file your answer without an attorney.

How do I file an answer to a summons in Georgia?

You should put the name of the court, the case name, and the case number at the top of your answer. You should sign it and date it and put your contact information under your signature. After you finish writing your answer, take it to the court clerk and ask the clerk to file it.

How do you respond to a lawsuit in Georgia?

When responding to the allegations, keep it short and to the point. Only admit, deny, or state that you are without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of each allegation.Dec 13, 2019

How do you write an affirmative defense in an answer?

2) Raise an affirmative defense. An affirmative defense says, essentially, “even if what you're saying is true, I'm not liable for reason XYZ.” Examples of affirmative defenses include bankruptcy, statute of limitations and self-defense. 3) Raise a counterclaim.

What happens when you get served papers for debt in Georgia?

After being served, you have 30 days to draft your Answer and mail a copy to both the court and the plaintiff. ... Your other option will be to contact the debt collector or the creditor and ask them for a new repayment plan, or a means to settle the debt out of court.Oct 8, 2021

What happens when you don't answer 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.

How many days do you have to answer a complaint in Georgia?

30 daysGeorgia State Court — Answer to Complaint is due 30 days after service of summons and complaint unless proof of service is not filed with the court within five business days after service was made, in which case the answer is not due until 30 days after proof of service is filed.

How do I write a response to a court summons?

How do I answer the complaint?Read the summons and make sure you know the date you must answer by.Read the complaint carefully. ... Write your answer.Sign and date the answer.Make copies for the plaintiff and yourself.Mail a copy to the plaintiff. ... File your answer with the court by the date on the summons.

How do you answer allegations?

Be brief. Answer the allegations in the complaint with one or two sentences. Again remember that the statements you make in your answer can be used as admissions against you. Your response to the allegations in the complaint may admit part of the statement in the specific paragraph and deny part.

How do you stop someone from suing you?

Ten common sense ways to avoid being suedMaintain good communications. ... Avoid giving false expectations. ... Make the client make the hard decisions. ... Document your advice and the client's decisions. ... Don't initiate hostilities against the client. ... Avoid, or handle with care, the borderline personality client.More items...

What happens if you never get served court papers in Georgia?

The plaintiff will ask the court for a default judgment If you have avoided being served court papers and don't file an Answer by the deadline, it's bad news. The debt collector will likely file a motion with the court asking it to enter a “default judgment” against you.Mar 3, 2021

Can a debt collector take you to court after 7 years?

After the statute of limitations runs out, your unpaid debt is considered to be “time-barred.” If a debt is time-barred, a debt collector can no longer sue you to collect it. In fact, it's against the law for a debt collector to sue you for not paying a debt that's time-barred.

What is Georgia statute of limitations on debt?

six yearsGeorgia law stipulates that written contracts have a statute of limitations of six years from when the debt became due and payable. On the other hand, oral breaches and open accounts have a statute of limitations of only four years from the date of default.

What is the answer to a divorce complaint?

The answer to the divorce complaint is the defensive pleading in a divorce action. Essentially, the answer is the defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint or petition for divorce. The purpose of the answer is to respond to the plaintiff's allegations that were listed in the complaint for divorce. In the answer, the defendant must also ...

How long does it take to respond to a divorce complaint?

It is important to timely respond to a complaint for divorce. Do not ignore it. A defendant has only 30 days in which to file an answer with the court upon being served with the complaint and summons. If the defendant fails to file an answer, he or she may be subject to penalties. Counterclaims in the Answer.

What is a counterclaim in divorce?

What are counterclaims? In the context of the complaint for divorce and the corresponding answer, counterclaims are claims asserted in the answer that are made in response to claims the plaintiff made in the complaint for divorce.

What is a complaint for divorce?

The complaint for divorce may include allegations in it that you disagree with or that you may have a valid legal defense to. Assert any defenses you might have in the answer. Make sure that you and your lawyer carefully read the complaint for divorce and respond to each allegation. For some of these allegations, you may have a defense.

What is a motion to dismiss?

A motion to dismiss is a motion filed with the court that asks the court to dismiss the complaint for divorce for various reasons. A motion to dismiss can only be made in certain situations. It can be filed with the answer or even before ...

How to garnish your wages?

Taking your money or property: Wage Garnishment and Property Seizure 1 Request the sheriff to serve wage garnishment notification on your employer, so your employer must withhold a designated amount for the creditor every pay period 2 File a lien on your real estate, which must be paid when you sell or refinance your property before the deal can be finalized. The creditor can also execute on the lien immediately by having the sheriff seize your real property and arrange a public sale. Certain real property may be exempt, and this varies state to state. 3 Levy on your personal property through the local sheriff, which means the sheriff will take the property and sell it at public auction. Once again, some property will be exempt. 4 Get an assignment order for property that is not subject to levy such as tax refunds.

Why do people ignore summons?

When most people receive a summons to appear in court because of a debt , they ignore it because the problem may seem insurmountable. They may hope that the debt collector will give up and go away. Nothing could be further than the truth.

What happens if you don't pay your debt?

When you can’t pay a debt, creditors will send notices and may charge interest and late fees. If you still don’t pay, you may receive phone calls and email from the company as well as more letters. Eventually, usually somewhere between three to six months of nonpayment, the company may sell your debt to a debt collection agency which is likely ...

How long does it take for a company to sell your debt?

Eventually, usually somewhere between three to six months of nonpayment, the company may sell your debt to a debt collection agency which is likely to pursue payment much more aggressively. After a time, the collection agency is likely to file a complaint and mail you a summons to appear in court. The debt collection summons will typically say ...

Can a sheriff garnish your wages?

Request the sheriff to serve wage garnishment notification on your employer, so your employer must withhold a designated amount for the creditor every pay period. File a lien on your real estate, which must be paid when you sell or refinance your property before the deal can be finalized.

What happens if you don't respond to a complaint?

If a person does not respond to the complaint within the time allotted or show up in court on the appointed day, it’s almost a given that the court will rule in favor of the debt collection agency. 90% of cases are decided in favor of collection agencies to a large extent because most cases go uncontested. Debt collection agencies hope you do one ...

What is a complaint and summons?

The complaint and summons provide information on who is suing you, why you are being sued, and how long you have to respond to the lawsuit. The complaint tells the judge what the dispute is about, and what the person suing you wants from you.

How long do you have to respond to a summons?

The summons should include a date or time period by which you must respond. Typically, you have 20 days from the date you were served with the documents to respond to the lawsuit. However, this period may specify business days, or may be extended for certain court holidays.

What is summons in court?

The summons provides logistical details for you, including a statement of the fact that you have the right to respond to the complaint in writing within a certain amount of time. It will tell you how long you have to respond, and where you should take your written response.

What happens if you don't respond to a lawsuit?

If you don't file a written response to the lawsuit, the judge will assume that you agree with everything the plaintiff stated in the complaint. The time limit may be different depending on the type of case filed. Make sure you read your summons carefully, as it will tell you how long you have to respond.

What happens if you don't have a case number?

If the summons and complaint that you received didn't have a case number, you can't file your answer yet. You will receive notice of the case number when the plaintiff files the complaint with the court. Until then, the court will have no record of the case.

What is personal jurisdiction?

This is called personal jurisdiction. The court in the county where you live typically has personal jurisdiction. If you're being sued in your business capacity – for example, if you own a restaurant – any court in a county where you do business usually has personal jurisdiction.

How long does it take to file a motion to dismiss?

If the judge doesn't grant your motion, you have a brief period of time to file your answer – typically about 10 days.

What does it mean when you receive a summons and complaint?

Overview. If you have received a summons and complaint, that probably means you are being sued. Being sued can be one of life’s most stressful experiences. Although it might be tempting to ignore a summons and complaint, ignoring a lawsuit does not make it go away.

How long do you have to respond to a lawsuit?

However you decide to respond to the lawsuit, remember there are deadlines to take action. Typically, you have twenty calendar days from when you received the summons and complaint (not counting the day of service) to file a response with the court. But that time might be shorter in some cases.

What is an answer in a lawsuit?

An answer is your opportunity to respond to the complaint’s factual allegations and legal claims. It also allows you to assert "affirmative defenses," facts or legal arguments you raise to defeat plaintiff’s claim. Filing an answer prevents the plaintiff from getting a default judgment against you.

What is a counterclaim?

Compulsory counterclaims. If your claim arises out of the same transaction that underlies the plaintiff's claim , you have a “compulsory counterclaim.”. If you do not file a counterclaim in plaintiff’s case, you will lose the right to file a separate lawsuit.

What to do if you do nothing in a lawsuit?

If you do nothing, the plaintiff can – and probably will! – ask the court for a default judgment. You may have other options as well. The best way to evaluate your options is to speak to a lawyer. An attorney might be able to identify defenses that apply to you or even help you settle your case out of court.

Why do you file a motion to dismiss?

File a motion to dismiss or for a more definite statement. There are a number of reasons why you might file a motion to dismiss, including: Lack of jurisdiction. In other words, the court does not have jurisdiction over you. Click to visit Deciding Where to File for more information about jurisdiction.

What to do if you have been served with a summons?

Learn what to do if you’ve been served with a summons and complaint, including how much time you have to respond and what options might be available to you. Remember that if you do nothing, the person suing you can ask the court for a money judgment against you!