Dictionary
default judgment
a judgment entered against a defendant who has failed to plead or failed to defend against the claimant's claim
Unfortunately Mr Mullen's claim wasn't picked up as it should have been and as a result he obtained a default judgment against us.
a judgment entered as a penalty against a party who does not comply with a court order
The judge in the case has already issued a default judgment for the couple, barring Chrysler from offering a defence, after the company refused to produce documents under a court order.
Common Mistakes
- Avoid saying 'judgment by default'; default judgment is a better choice of words.
Phrase Bank
- Judge Jones entered a default judgment against the defendant.
- The default judgment had not yet been served on the company.
- They were unable to enforce the default judgment.
- The court set aside the default judgment.