Legal Question in Civil Litigation in New Jersey

Re: supoena

If you are being sued in New Jersey, you must file an Answer to the Complaint as stated in the summons. If you fail to do this, you will lose the suit by default and a judgment will be entered against you. The nature of the cause is such that a proof hearing may be required to determine the amount of damages, but, if you have not answered, you may not be represented at the hearing. Once a judgment is entered, NC and every other State must enforce the NJ judgment if it is requested to do so. The message is that you must file a legally sufficient Answer to the NJ Complaint.

For the moment, forget about providing the other side with information or negotiating with them. You must file a formal Answer in the form specified by the NJ courts in order to preserve your rights.

Since the suit is against you personally, you could represent yourself. This is not advisable. Unless you are thoroughly familiar with the law of your case and the rules of court, you may overlook good defenses or miss opportunities to gain negotiating room by filing any counterclaims that you might have. In addition, there is clearly a crossclaim against whoever posted the material on your site. If the plaintiff has not joined that party in the suit, there is the possiblility that you could have it dismissed.

This is not really the kind of defense that you should take on yourself. You need a New Jersey lawyer who can take up your defense. If you had representation here previously, you might contact that lawyer. Otherwise, you can contact me and I will help.