Default Judgement

A default judgement is entered when a defendant fails to file an acknowledgement of service or defence within the prescribed time limit. Under CPR Part 12, the claimant may request judgement in default for a specified sum or, for unspecified claims, request that the court dispose of the case. It is one of the most common routes to obtaining a money judgement.

In practice

Default judgements can be obtained administratively without a hearing for specified sums. The defendant may apply to set aside the default judgement under CPR 13.3 if they acted promptly, have a real prospect of defending the claim, or there is some other good reason. Setting aside is not automatic and the court retains discretion.