Step 1 of a Lawsuit: Service of Your Complaint and Receiving an Answer

For a lot of our clients, this is their first time in the world of litigation. It is a long process with a lot to learn. It can be overwhelming, but we are here to walk you through every step of the way. We like to break the process down into five steps, so it is a little easier to comprehend. The first of which: service of your complaint and receiving an answer.

Once your case is filed with the appropriate court, the defendant(s) must be served with your summons and complaint. We typically have 90 days from the filing of your suit, but we can file for an extension if necessary. Once a defendant is served, they have somewhere between 21-28 days to answer or plead otherwise. The timeline here depends on the method and location of service (if service is through certified mail, a process server, etc.). Defense attorneys can also request an extension of time to file their answer, so it could take up to 60 days after service. If the defense does not answer within the appropriate time frame, the court may enter a default judgement in your favor. While there are a lot of variables at play, here at MichiganLawsuit.com, we keep a close watch on these dates. You can rest assured that we will get your case to the next step in the process.

In our next post, I will be outlining the second step of the lawsuit process: discovery.