To file a motion for contempt in New York, certain criteria must be met. There must be an existing order of the court that is clear and unambiguous, and the accused must be proven to have known about this order and willfully disobeyed it.
Failure to Respond: If a defendant fails to answer the complaint or file a motion to dismiss within the time limit set forth in the summons, the defendant is in default. The plaintiff can ask the court clerk to make a note of that fact in the file, a procedure called entry of default.
A summons with notice or summons and complaint must be served within 120 days of filing with the County Clerk.
Proof of service shall specify the papers served, the person who was served and the date, time, address, or, in the event there is no address, place and manner of service, and set forth facts showing that the service was made by an authorized person and in an authorized manner.
The written response must be made within 20 days of personal service, or within 30 days of the time when service by any other means is complete.
After a summons with notice is served, the defendant will demand that the plaintiff serve a complaint. The plaintiff must then have the complaint served within 20 days after being served with the demand, or the case may be dismissed.
A summons with notice is a type of summons. The summons with notice is not served with the complaint. It contains all of the information described above for the summons, plus a brief description of the type of case and the relief the plaintiff is asking the court to grant.
The proof of service must be signed by the process server under penalty of perjury, affirming the accuracy and truthfulness of the statements therein. And the affidavit is signed by the process server in front of a notary who puts them under oath that their statements therein are accurate and truthful.
If proof of service of the summons has not been filed within 60 days of the complaint's filing, the court may dismiss the action without prejudice.