I just got served with court papers. What do I do?

You (the respondent) may want to file a Response (sometimes called an Answer) whether or not you agree with what is written in the court papers. There is a deadline for how many days you have to file a response before your case goes to default. For instance, the deadline to file the response in a divorce is 20 days after you were served (30 days if you were served outside of Arizona). If you are unsure of how much time you have to file, contact the courthouse to ask the court clerk. Court location contact information can be found in the Find My Court tool. 

Whether you agree on everything in the paperwork or not, you will want to state your side in your response. If you and the person who brought the court case (the petitioner) do not agree, the court may set the matter for a hearing or require that you attend a program, such as counseling, mediation, or alternative dispute resolution. 

If you choose not to respond, the petitioner may file for a default judgment and the judge may award the person filing what was asked for in the petition. The default judgment will then be served and court order entered.