Legal Question in Civil Litigation in North Carolina

Re: Civil summons

You really need to consult an attorney. Assuming you're talking about a Summons and a Complaint in a civil action (as opposed to, e.g., a jury summons), then you need to prepare a document responding to the allegations, and you need to file it with the appropriate court and serve (i.e. mail) it to the Plaintiff. The Summons gives you these instructions. You need to do so within the time allotted (indicated on the summons). In small claims court, you do not need to respond, but generally otherwise, if you do not respond, you may be subject to a default judgment. You should attempt to retain an attorney.