The full explanation
It says how many days you have to respond in writing or appear. If you do not respond in time, the court may enter a judgment against you without hearing your side (a default judgment). Responding does not mean you agree that you owe. If it is an eviction case, you can call the court clerk to ask about your deadline.
An example
An officer hands Rubén a summons over a credit card debt. Instead of putting it in a drawer, he reads the deadline, looks for free legal aid and files his answer on time.
You will see it in…
- The papers a sheriff or process server hands you
- An eviction or debt collection lawsuit
- Your county court's self-help page
