What is a default judgment?

A default judgment is a court ruling that is made when one party in a divorce case fails to respond to a summons or complaint in South Carolina. When this occurs, the other spouse is entitled to ask the court to enter a default judgment, which grants the requesting spouse a divorce. The court will also consider any other issues surrounding the divorce, such as alimony, child support and division of property, and will make a ruling on these issues as well. When a default judgment is made, it means that the court has accepted that the absent spouse’s rights have been waived. The other spouse may receive the benefits they requested, such as child support or alimony, without any further input from the absent spouse. Although the other spouse may not get the same amount of money that they requested, they are still likely to be granted some or all of what was requested in the complaint. It is important to note that a default judgment does not mean that the divorce is legally binding. If the other spouse decides to come back and dispute the ruling, they could do so, and the court may reverse the default judgment. Therefore, it is important that both spouses attend the court hearings and participate in the divorce proceedings.

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