What notice informs the defendant of the lawsuit and requires the defendant to respond or risk losing the suit?

• A. Pleading in the alternative
• B. Verification
• C. Summons
• D. Notice

Answer: (C)

In civil lawsuits, the key step is service of process—the formal notice that makes the defendant aware of the suit and starts the clock to respond. The document that accomplishes this, and that requires the defendant to file an answer or risk a default judgment, is the summons. It is typically served with a copy of the complaint and tells the defendant the time to respond.

The other terms don’t fit as the formal notice you’re describing. Pleading in the alternative is a type of claim or defense you can raise within your responsive pleading, not a notice to appear. Verification is a sworn statement about the truth of the facts in a pleading. Notice is a general term for informing someone, but the specific formal notice that triggers a response in a lawsuit is the summons.