Some potential clients come to me and say "Hey, I just got sued, what's next?" The answer is, well it kinda depends on the situation. If you got sued and you're an Arizona resident then you have 20 days to file your answer. If you got sued and you're a resident of another state, then you have 30 days to file your answer. But before you decide whether an answer is what you want to file, you need to sit down with a lawyer and explore what your options are. You may want to file a motion to dismiss, trying to get the claim kicked out if that's possible. You may want to wait for the plaintiff to file a notice of default which you have the right to do. You may even want to call the plaintiff and talk to him about settling the case or have a lawyer who's going to do that for you.

What you really need to decide is how vigorously you want to defend the case. You need a road map with an overarching strategy. If you don't have that, then you might be wasting your money. You don't want an attorney to start work and you certainly don't want to pay an attorney to start work without him or her telling you exactly what's going on in plain language. Don't authorize your lawyer to do anything for you until you know the big picture. And it's been explained to you in a way that you understand what's going to happen in the lawsuit.

Gunderson, Denton & Peterson, P.C.

Mesa Location:
1930 N. Arboleda, Suite 201
Mesa, Arizona 85213
Office: 480-655-7440
Fax: 480-655-7099
Website: http://gundersondenton.com

Phoenix Location:
40 N. Central Avenue, Suite 1400
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Office: 480-325-9937
Website: http://gundersondenton.com/phoenix

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