Default Judgment

A Levels Academy Islamabad

Transcript

00:00They say 80% of success is simply showing up.

00:04Well, not showing up in civil court will lead to 100% trouble.

00:09And by trouble, we mean a default judgment.

00:12A default judgment is when a court says you lost a case because you didn't respond to a claim

00:17or appear in court when you were supposed to.

00:19For example, if you have an unpaid bills case brought against you and you do nothing,

00:24the judge can say you owe whatever the creditor claims you owe.

00:28If further proof of the amount is needed, a hearing or trial will be held to determine the amount that you owe.

00:33But if you've been defaulted, you may not be invited to the hearing or trial.

00:37Even if you are present, you may not be allowed to argue against the evidence your opponent presents against you.

00:43Now, although difficult, you can ask a court to remove a default after the fact,

00:48so you can fight the case freely.

00:50LegalYou can help you go about that in detail.

00:54But some of the unusual reasons for excusing a default is either you did not get a notice of the case

00:59or a particular deadline, or something happened that made you unable to respond to a case or attend a hearing.

01:05Whatever route you go, you must file a request in writing,

01:09in a motion that you file with the court called a motion to vacate default.

01:14You then, of course, must provide that your excuse is legitimate.

01:18Besides asking the court to simply set aside the default,

01:21you can also try to settle the debt, for example, for a reduced amount,

01:25or eliminate the default completely by filing for bankruptcy.

01:29Although the very best way to defend against default is by not defaulting in the first place.

01:35But if it does happen, LegalYou can help you reverse that decision and come out on top.