​ሕግንና ደንብን በተመለከተ እርዳታ ማግኘት ይፈልጋሉን? - Amharic | هل تحتاج لمساعدة قانونية؟ - Arabic | ܤܢܝܼܩܵܐ ܝ݇ܘ̤ܬ ܠܗܲܝܵܪܬܵܐ ܩܵܢܘܿܢܵܝܬܵܐ؟ - Assyrian | Need Legal Help? - Auslan | Treba li vam pravna pomoc? - Bosnian | Burmese â Need Legal Help? | 需要法律帮助吗? - Chinese Simplified | 需要法律幫助嗎? - Chinese Traditional | Trebate li pravnu pomoć? - Croatian | ضرورت به کمک قانونی دارید؟ - Dari | Wïc Kuɔɔny në Wɛ̈t Löŋ? - Dinka | آیا به کمک حقوقی نیاز دارید؟ - Farsi | Gadreva na Veivuke Vakalawa? - Fijian | Kailangan ninyo ba ng tulong na panglegal? - Filipino | Besoin d’aide juridique ? - French | Χρειάζεστε βοήθεια σε νομικά ζητήματα - Greek | क्या आपको कानूनी सलाह चाहिए? - Hindi | Butuhkan Bantuan dalam Masalah Hukum? - Indonesian | Hai bisogno di assistenza legale? - Italian | ត្រូវការជំនួយលើបញ្ហាផ្លូវច្បាប់ឬទេ? - Khmer | 법적인 도움이 필요하십니까? - Korean | Ви треба ли помош со правни работи? - Macedonian | कानूनी सहयोग चाहिएको छ? - Nepalese | Necessita de ajuda com questões jurídicas? - Portuguese | Вам нужна юридическая помощь? - Russian | E Manaomia Fesoasoani i Mea Tau Tulafono? - Samoan | а ли вам треба помоћ у правним питањима? - Serbian | Ma u baahan tahay Caawimmad xagga sharciga ah?- Somali | ¿Necesita ayuda con cuestiones jurídicas? - Spanish | சட்ட உதவி தேவையா? - Tamil | ท่านต้องการความช่วยเหลือทางด้านกฎหมายไหม? - Thai | Fiema’u ha tokoni Fakalao? - Tongan | Yasal Danışmaya İhtiyacınız mı var? - Turkish | Cần Được Giúp Đỡ Về Luật Pháp? - Vietnamese |

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Default judgment​​

A default judgment is when the court makes a judgment against the defendant without having a hearing in​​ court because the defendant did not respond to the statement of claim. ​​

    When can you apply f​or default judgment?

    You can apply to the court for a default judgment, if you filed and served a statement of claim and the defendant hasn't:

    • ​​​​​paid the money you are claiming
    • filed a defence, or
    • filed an acknowledgement of liquidated claim form (for a money claim only). 

    You must wait until 28 days after the statement of claim was served. Once the defendant has filed a defence, you cannot get a default judgment.

    Handy hintIf you don't apply for a default judgment within nine months of filing the statement of claim, and nothing else happens in your case, the court can dismiss your case because nothing has been done about it. If this happens, you can restart your case by filing and serving a new statement of claim. Time limits apply.

    Applying for default judgment if there has been part payment 

    If the defendant has paid some of the money you are claiming, you can still get a default judgment for the money not yet paid.

    If the defendant has paid the original debt, but has not paid fees or any interest, you can get a default judgment for the amount of the interest and fees. 

    ​How to apply for default judgment

    To apply for default judgment, you must file some documents with the court. 

    Default judgment for money

    For more information, see Applying for default judgment - money.

    Responding to an application to set aside default judgment

    If a default judgment is made, the defendant may ask the court for the default judgment to be 'set aside'. 

    Setting aside a default judgment means cancelling the judgment and giving the defendant time to file a defence and have the case heard by the court.

    The defendant will usually apply for a stay of proceedings at the same time. A stay of proceedings is an order stopping you from enforcing the judgment until the court has decided the application to set aside the default judgment. 

    To have the default judgment set aside the defendant must show the court that: 

    • ​there is a good reason why they didn't file a defence within 28 days; and
    • they have a bona fide (genuine) defence.   

    For more information, see Responding to an application to set aside default judgment.

    What happens next?

    If you have a default judgment and the defendant still does not respond, there are steps you can take to get the money you are owed. This is called enforcement. For more information, see Enforcement.