Free checklist
What to have in front of you before you respond
Ten minutes of gathering makes the rest of this far easier. Nothing on this list is required to keep going — missing paperwork is normal, and some of it is exactly what you can ask the other side to produce.
Always call the clerk to confirm
Deadlines, fees, formats, and local rules change, and courts differ from county to county. Anything on this site is general information. The clerk of the court printed on your papers is the only source that is current for your case — make the call before you rely on a date.
What to ask when you call
- 1How many days do I have to respond, and is that counted from the day I was served?
- 2What is the filing fee for a response, and what do I do if I cannot pay it?
- 3Do you take filings in person, by mail, or online — and how many copies do you want?
- 4How do I send the other side their copy?
This is a normal call to make. Clerks answer procedural questions like these all day. They are not allowed to give legal advice, so ask about process — days, fees, formats, copies — and not about what you should argue.
Gather these before you start
Put what you have on the table. You can keep going without any single item on this list.
- The summonsIt names your court, your case number, and how long you have to respond.
- The complaint and everything stapled to itThe numbered paragraphs are what your Answer responds to, one by one.
- The envelope, or a note about how the papers arrivedHanded to you, left with someone, taped to a door, mailed — how it happened matters.
- The date the papers reached youYour response window is counted from that day, not from the date on the paperwork.
- Any letters from the collector or law firmThey often name the original bank and an amount you can compare against the complaint.
- Statements for the account, if you have anyThey show the balance history and what fees and interest were added.
- Your best memory of the last payment you madeThe date of last activity is what time limits on old debt are measured from.
- A copy of the cardholder or loan agreement, if you can get oneIt holds the terms, the fee schedule, and any arbitration clause.
Cannot find something? Keep going. Missing paperwork is common, and several of these are things you can ask the other side to produce later.
How filing usually works where you were sued
Pick your state to see what is typical: how long people usually have, whether the answer is normally sworn, where it gets filed, what the fee waiver is called, and how the plaintiff gets its copy.
Ready to write the response?
The toolkit asks one question at a time and builds your Answer, defenses, and discovery requests as editable Word files.
See the kitsEducational information and document preparation only. Make Them Prove It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. Rules and deadlines differ by state and by court, so confirm them with your court clerk or a licensed attorney in your state.