What happens if I ignore a summons?
Asked by: Prof. Danika Goyette II | Last update: November 18, 2025Score: 4.2/5 (29 votes)
If you ignore the order, the court will hold you in contempt. You could go to jail or face a large fine for ignoring the subpoena.
What happens if you don't go to a court summons?
This occurs when someone disobeys or disregards the authority, order, or dignity of the court. If you don't show up to court after being properly subpoenaed, the judge may view this as a direct challenge to the court's authority. As a result, you may face legal penalties, such as fines or even jail time.
What happens if you don't answer the door for a summons?
Process servers typically follow specific protocols when no one answers the door. Usually, they'll make multiple attempts at different times and days to reach you at home. Their efforts may include visiting during evenings or weekends to ensure a higher chance of serving the court documents via personal service.
What happens when someone ignores a summons?
For more serious cases, especially those involving criminal charges, failing to respond to a court summons can lead to an arrest warrant. An arrest warrant authorizes law enforcement to detain you and bring you before the court.
Can you decline a court summons?
Once you have been given the subpoena, you must legally oblige. If you don't understand your obligations, you should consult a federal criminal defense lawyer serving San Francisco, CA as soon as possible. There are a few conditions which may allow you to forego a court ordered testimony.
What Happens if a Court Summons is Ignored | Can I Ignore a Summons?
What is the consequence of not responding to a summons?
By not answering the summons and complaint, a person risks losing their opportunity to contest the claims of the plaintiff and also to make their own claims against the plaintiff. If a person does not answer the complaint and ignores it instead, the plaintiff can then seek a default judgment in court.
Should I answer a summons?
If you receive a summons and complaint, this typically means that you are being sued by someone. If you fail to answer, the person suing you may be able to get a default judgment against you. This means they get whatever they are asking for in their complaint. To avoid that, you can't ignore the summons and complaint.
Should I avoid a summons?
It is true that if the plaintiff never serves you, the case will be dismissed. This doesn't mean that it's a good idea to dodge service of process. In fact, it's usually a tremendously bad idea to do so.
Is a summons worse than a ticket?
A summons is more serious than a traffic ticket because you must appear for your court date, and if you do not, then you may be subject to an arrest and will face new charges. A summons is usually issued for motor vehicle offenses including reckless driving or evading responsibility.
What are the rules for summons?
A summons must: (A) name the court and the parties; (B) be directed to the defendant; (C) state the name and address of the plaintiff's attorney or—if unrepresented—of the plaintiff; (D) state the time within which the defendant must appear and defend; (E) notify the defendant that a failure to appear and defend will ...
What happens if you don't receive a court summons?
In most cases, as long as the plaintiff can show that they are reasonable and diligent in attempting to serve you, then they may have met their burden, and their judgment against you may stand. Of course, every case is different.
Is a summons always criminal?
A summons is a written order, issued by the court after a criminal or traffic complaint has been filed, that requires the person named in the complaint to appear in court on a specific date and time to answer the alleged charge.
What happens if I ignore my summons?
But, if you ignore a summons, you will likely lose the case against you. The court will usually decide the lawsuit in favor of the person suing you. The court could decide that you have to pay money or that you must stop doing something.
Why would I be served a summons?
Service of a Summons and Complaint is a process to compel someone to appear in court to defend him/her/itself against a lawsuit.
What happens if you ignore a summons for credit card debt?
If you get a summons notifying you that a debt collector is suing you, do not ignore it—if you do, the collector may be able to get a default judgment against you (that is, the court enters judgment in the collector's favor because you didn't respond to defend yourself).
What happens if someone ignores being served?
If someone ignores service attempts and fails to respond, the court may issue a default judgment. This decision often favors the plaintiff because the defendant didn't appear to defend themselves. Default judgments can have long-lasting effects, such as wage garnishment or property liens.
Do I need a lawyer to respond to a summons?
Summary: You don't need an attorney to respond to a Summons, but you have to respond with a written Answer or you run the risk of losing automatically. In your Answer, you should address all the claims against you and list your defenses, but don't give too much detail or you could hurt your case.
What if a judge ignores the law?
If you feel the judge committed misconduct, what you can do would be to report him to your state's judiciary committee. If what he did is serious enough, he could be unseated, even potentially disbarred.
Can a summons be dismissed?
An order vacating service of summons and dismissing an action puts an end to litigation without a judicial investigation of the merits; and the effect of granting a motion to quash service is to declare the service void and not to dismiss the complaint.
Is a court summons bad?
A court summons is essentially an arrest without the physical booking process. It still carries significant legal consequences if not handled properly. An arrest warrant will be issued if you fail to appear at your scheduled court date.
What happens if you refuse to answer a question in court?
Court sanctions are another repercussion of refusing to answer deposition questions. These sanctions vary but generally encompass monetary fines, attorney fee payments, or other legal penalties. Courts can also dismiss claims or defenses as a result of non-compliance.
Can you go to jail after a summons?
If you don't go to court and you don't show up for the summons, the Judge is going to issue a bench warrant for you. If there's a bench warrant issued for you, you'll get arrested when you're picked up on that warrant.