What is the legal significance of a default judgment?

• A. It terminates the case
• B. It is a decision in favor of the defendant due to lack of evidence from the plaintiff
• C. It is a decision in favor of the plaintiff due to lack of response from the defendant
• D. It voids the petition

Answer: (C)

A default judgment happens when the defendant doesn’t respond to the complaint in time. In that situation, the court treats the plaintiff’s factual allegations as true for liability and enters a judgment in the plaintiff’s favor. This means the plaintiff wins on the claims that were properly pleaded, even though no defense was presented or proven at trial. Damages are usually determined separately—either as prayed in the complaint or after a brief proceeding—because the defendant’s lack of response doesn’t automatically fix the amount of relief. A default judgment ends the defendant’s ability to contest liability on those claims, though it can be challenged later if the defendant can show a valid reason to set it aside.