If You Have Been Sued

Bastrop Civil Litigation Defense Attorneys

If you have been sued in a lawsuit, you should consult a civil litigation attorney right away.  You must file an answer to the lawsuit before the deadline to file an answer passes, or else you risk having a default judgment entered against you. A default judgment may be entered by the court if an answer is not on file by 10:00 a.m. on the answer day deadline. Once you have been served with the lawsuit papers (called “service of process”), you should hire a lawyer immediately.

When is your answer deadline in a Texas state district court or county court?  Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 99(b) mandates that “[t]he citation shall direct the defendant to file a written answer to the plaintiff’s petition on or before 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next after the expiration of twenty days after the date of service thereof.” So you start counting the day after you were served (that’s Day 1) and then count 20 days. Your answer is due on the very next Monday after Day 20.

After the answer to the lawsuit is filed, there are many things that need to be done to properly defend a civil lawsuit. Our goal, of course, is to try to get the case dismissed without a trial. If a dismissal is not possible due to the facts of the case, then we will work with you to develop a litigation strategy to try to win your lawsuit. Of course, every case is different and the outcome will depend on the facts of your case. We cannot guarantee any particular outcome.

Our firm regularly represents parties who have been sued in civil lawsuits in Texas courts including in matters such as breach of contract, Home Owners Association violations, business disputes, civil fraud and deceptive trade practices, real estate and boundary disputes, and personal injury claims.