default judgment

Definition

A binding judgment in favor of the plaintiff when the defendant fails to respond or appear, essentially winning by forfeit. The legal equivalent of victory by no-show.

Example Usage

After the defendant ignored the lawsuit for six months, the court entered a default judgment for the full amount claimed.

Origin

From Old French 'defaut' meaning 'deficiency' or 'failure,' applied to legal non-compliance

Fun Fact

Default judgments account for a huge portion of civil cases, proving that showing up really is half the battle—maybe more than half.

Source: Civil procedure terminology

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