Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in California

Re: lawsuit

The way you get sued is, someone hands you a Summons and Complaint. You hire a lawyer, or call your insurance company, and a response is filed with the court. Or you do nothing and lose by default. If a response is filed with the court, then a trial date is set, evidence is collected, and the case is either settled, or else a judge or a jury decides who wins and who loses. If you lose, the court issues a judgment which allows the sheriff to take your money or other property.

All this is terribly oversimplified, but that's it in a nutshell.