A defendant can challenge the entry of default by filing a motion pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55(c), which allows the court to set it aside for “good cause” shown. Under certain circumstances, the court is required to do so.
To vacate a default, your motion papers must show a good reason or excuse for your default and that your claims or defenses have legal merit. Whenever a motion is to be brought, the person filing the motion is called the moving party or the movant.
If you were sued and lost because you did not appear in court, you can file an SC-135 Notice of Motion to Vacate Judgment. By filing this motion, you are asking the court to cancel the judgment entered against you and to give you a new trial.
Consider the following five approaches: Show that the motion fails to list the specific facts and law supporting summary judgment. Show that a dispute exists on a material fact. Show that the law does not support judgment on the undisputed facts.
If you do not think the default judgment was appropriately entered against you, you must file a motion with the court asking the judge to “set aside” (void or nullify) the judgment. If the judge grants your motion, the case starts back up again.
Most Courts, including California, put strict time limits on when that motion may be filed (six months from entry of default in California though this time limit may be altered based on various factors) and the longer the period of time from entry of default, the harder it is to have the Court remove it.
For that purpose the judgment debtor should approach the plaintiff/judgment creditor or his/her/its attorney to obtain the written consent to rescission of judgment. There is however no requirement in law that obliges a plaintiff/judgment creditor to give a consent to rescission of judgment.
A defendant who has a default judgment against them can apply to the court that issued the judgment to set it aside. If the court sets aside the judgment, it is as though the order was never made. The court still needs to deal with the claim.