How To Respond To A Lawsuit Without A Lawyer

How To Respond To A Lawsuit Without A Lawyer
Everyone wants to avoid a lawsuit. Unfortunately, that isn't always possible. Whether you are being sued by an unscrupulous debt collector, or a business associate has alleged a breach of contract claim, sometimes we are forced to get involved in the civil court system and respond to a lawsuit, regardless of whether or not we can afford it.
In these situations, having a competent attorney by your side is always a good idea. But what happens when you can't afford to spend $10,000-$20,000 on an attorney? With access to free legal services being woefully inadequate, many people have no choice but to represent themselves in court. Fortunately, this is not nearly as difficult as you may think.
Once you understand the basic process and learn a few legal terms, you will see that the legal system is primarily based on simple common sense. Anyone can learn how to respond to a lawsuit without a lawyer!
4 Steps To Answering A Lawsuit

The 4 basic steps to responding to any civil lawsuit in the United States include the following:
1. Being Served With A Summons And Complaint
2. Filing An Answer
3. Discovery
4. Trial
Drafting the Answer

If your answer is not formatted correctly, it may be rejected by the court clerk! Most civil answers in U.S. courts have the following format:
- A case caption that includes the name of the court, the names of the parties, and the title of the pleading.
- An introductory sentence, wherein you state who you are and that you are hereby answering the plaintiff’s complaint.
- Admissions and denials, wherein you admit or deny each allegation in the complaint.
- A list of any affirmative defenses you plan on asserting.
- Any counterclaims you are bringing against the plaintiff.
- A ‘Prayer for Relief’ wherein you ask the court what, exactly, you want them to do about this case.
Sending and Responding to Requests For Production

After the complaint and answer have been filed, both sides will engage in ’Discovery’, where they are required to disclose information to each other. These disclosures are usually made by each party sending the other a 'Request for Production of Documents’ wherein they ask for specific documents that are relevant to the case.
Trial

After the discovery period is over, a case will go to trial or arbitration, where each side will plead their case in front of a judge or jury. The plaintiff will present their case first, introducing physical evidence (such as documents) and witness testimony. As the defendant, you will be able to object to any evidence you believe does not comply with state law and you will also be able to cross-examine the plaintiff's witnesses.
After the plaintiff rests their case, you will then put on your own case in the same manner. Then, the judge or jury will decide who prevails on each claim for relief.
Conclusion
As you can see, that basics of filing an answer to a lawsuit are not complicated. Of course, it is impossible to cover all the details of a lawsuit answer in one article, but most responses in the United States will have the same basic format as described above. If you can understand these concepts, you will be able to competently defend yourself in a civil lawsuit.
Lawsuitforms.org offers comprehensive form packages for filing answers to lawsuits in California, Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Each form package includes instructions, samples, and templates. Click on the form packages below for more information.
Our forms and guides will give you the tools you need to represent yourself in court. All our products are currently 20% for a limited time! File your lawsuit today!
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