Default in a Petition for Custody and Support
If you don’t file a Response on time, your child's other parent can ask for a default. This means asking the court to decide the case without your input.
The case can move forward without you
The judge will make decisions based on the information from your child's other parent, and what the law says, without hearing your side. Your child's other parent will need to complete more steps and a judge will need to sign the final papers.
What your child's other parent asked for in their Petition is likely what the court will order. Read the papers your child's parent filed carefully. This is the information the judge will have to make a decision.
If the other parent gets a default judgment, the court will mail you a final judgment and orders
The court will mail you a form (Notice of Entry of Judgment, form FL-190) letting you know your case is finished. If you don't get one in the mail, you can ask for a copy of your final court orders (Judgment, form FL-250) at the court where the case was filed.
Review the Judgment (form FL-250) and any attachments to it. It says what the court ordered about custody and child support.