What To Do (and What Not To Do) If You’ve Been Sued

​By Attorney Edward Jesson - Updated 2/29/2024 (Originally Published 3/27/2019)

​People and businesses get sued every day, and while no one enjoys being on the receiving end of a lawsuit, there are certain things that should be done to try and make the experience as painless as possible. In North Carolina, a lawsuit is generally started when an individual or a business (also called the “plaintiff”) files a complaint.   The clerk of court issues a summons, which must be served on the defendant (the party being sued).  This can generally be done by mailing it certified mail, return receipt requested, sending via FedEx or UPS, or having the county sheriff personally deliver a copy of the summons and complaint.
​
Once the summons and complaint have been served, the defendant has 30 days to respond to the complaint in district and superior courts. In small claims court, when a defendant is served (in some instances this can be achieved by the sheriff leaving a copy of the complaint taped to the front door), they will usually receive a notice of hearing along with the complaint.

Here is the first point that I would like to make clear: if you are served with a lawsuit, please do not wait until day 29 to contact an attorney. Evaluating your position as a defendant in a lawsuit and preparing the correct response takes time.  While you can usually get a 30-day extension of time to respond, doing so at the last minute is not always possible, and the extension likely won’t be granted if it is after day 30.  If you fail to respond to the complaint in time, the plaintiff may be entitled to a default judgment.  It is exactly what it sounds like— they will automatically win “by default”!  A default judgment can be hard to overcome once it is entered, and the excuse that you simply “forgot” to respond is usually not enough.

Point number two: Do not answer the complaint without first consulting with an attorney.  In an answer, you will generally just admit or deny the allegations to the complaint, but that is not the only response that is available. There are several ways that you may be able to get the lawsuit dismissed (meaning the case is thrown out), but that option is not available if you admit or deny allegations in the answer first.   By doing that yourself, you may be preventing an attorney from later dismissing the lawsuit.

For most people who are sued, it is for the first time in their lives (and hopefully the only time). Once the shock, confusion, and anger has worn off, it is important not to bury your head in the sand.  Contact a litigation attorney who can help you navigate through the civil system and, hopefully, get your case resolved in the most efficient way possible.  If done correctly, you may save a lot of money; however, trying to handle it yourself oftentimes results in the expenditure of more money.  If you or anyone you know has been sued, please give the attorneys at Jesson & Rains a call.