default judgment
3
7.4
- noun
- /dɪˈfɔlt ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/
- Formal
:
sentencia en rebeldía
- The judge entered a default judgment after the defendant did not show up for the hearing.
- won a default judgment
- get a default judgment
Examples
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Listen, judge, I'm with one of our new associates who's got a file on his desk—and at this point, Dodge took the file and dropped it in front of Farragut—in which a default judgment has just been entered.
Fiction book (1997) -
As a result, even if the debt isn't valid, if a debt collector goes to court and the borrower does not contest his filing, the collector will get a default judgment and can garnish wages or have the borrower's bank account debited.
Blog text (6) -
Well, at least the default judgment came through today.
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If you don't file your response, we'll file a request for default judgment against you.
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If they then fail to appear and respond to further notices, a default judgment may be entered in the case.
Blog text (29) -
The bad news is that after Trout Point won a default judgment, they were then awarded.
Blog text (7) -
I'm just wondering if Mr. Walker will still have some sort of access to discovery if he asks for a default judgment.
Blog text (29) -
Finally, if the foreign state's Central Authority does not respond to a valid request for service within six months, the local court may move ahead with a default judgment.
Academic text (2017) -
In a 2002 case, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco upheld a default judgment against Rio.
Academic text (2011) -
Holland notes that most people do not show up or contest lawsuits, and the vast majority of judges award default judgments based on the collector's documents.
Blog text (19)
Synonyms
A court decision for one side when the other side does not appear or reply
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally transparent: 'default' (failure to respond/appear) combined with 'judgment' (a court decision) yields a court decision made because of a defendant's default. Although it's a legal term, the meaning follows a straightforward modifier+head pattern and is derivable by learners who know both constituent senses.
Etymology
The legal term default judgment comes from default, meaning 'fail to respond', and judgment, meaning a court decision. Imagine a judge hearing a case where the defendant does not show up or answer, so the judge gives the judgment to the other side by 'default', which is why the phrase means a court decision for the plaintiff when the defendant fails to act.