Get Or Answer Form 2016-2025

An “answer” is a legal form you (the respondent) file with the court to protect your right to have a say in the divorce. If you file an answer, your spouse cannot finish the divorce unless: you agree to and sign a Final Decree of Divorce or. your spouse gives you written notice of a contested hearing date.

An answer is a legal form filed with the court by the respondent in a court case. In a family law case, the petitioner is the person who starts the case by filing a petition with the court. The other side is the respondent. Filing an answer with the court protects the respondent's right to have a say in the case.

File a Notice of Intention to Defend: You must file this within 15 days of receiving the summons. The Notice is on the bottom half of the summons. Once you have responded, the Court will send the plaintiff a copy of this notice. File a Counterclaim, Cross-claim, or a Third-Party Complaint.

View the 2023 Texas Answer Date Chart | Texas Answer Deadline Calculator Date of ServiceAnswer Due By 10:00 AMNovember 14 – November 20December 11, 2023November 21 – November 27December 18, 2023November 28 – December 4*December 25, 2023December 5 – December 11*January 1, 202450 more rows

A spouse can waive their right to be personally served with a copy of the divorce lawsuit by signing a Waiver of Service. They do this by signing the waiver of service in the presence of a notary, notarized, and then filing it with the court.

File (turn in) your completed answer form with the court. To file online, go to E-File Texas and follow the instructions. To file in person, take your answer (and copies) to the district clerk's office in the county where the plaintiff filed the case.

Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 99(b) instructs, “The citation shall direct the defendant to file a written answer to the plaintiff's petition on or before 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next after the expiration of twenty days after the date of service thereof.”