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Free, jurisdiction-specific guides for responding to a lawsuit. Every state has different rules, deadlines, and procedures. Find yours below.
An Answer is the formal legal document you file to respond to a Complaint (or Petition, in Texas). When someone sues you, the court requires you to respond within a specific number of days or risk a default judgment — where the court rules against you automatically because you didn't respond.
Your Answer typically includes: responses to each allegation in the Complaint (admit, deny, or lack knowledge), legal reasons the case should fail (affirmative defenses) — such as the debt being too old or the plaintiff lacking the right to sue — and any counterclaims you may have against the plaintiff.
Every jurisdiction has its own rules for formatting, deadlines, and filing procedures. The guides above walk through the specific requirements for each state and federal court.
SynthCounsel produces the Answer once the rule data behind it is reviewed by a licensed attorney; until then these guides explain the process.
Start with the free Q&A and the deadline tools. Document generation switches on as attorney review of each template completes.