When a defendant files a motion to dismiss, he asks the Court to throw out all or part of the plaintiff's case.The parties (well, their lawyers) will come to court, explain their positions on the motion to dismiss, and answer any questions posed by the judge. Finally, the judge will decide to grant or deny the motion.
Pursuant to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.140, Unless a different time is prescribed in a statute of Florida, a defendant shall serve an answer within 20 days after service of original process and the initial pleading on the defendant, or not later than the date fixed in a notice by publication.
You do not have to file a response. However, you would be wise to do so as a motion to dsmiss , if granted, could end your suit. Motions to dimiss for failure to state a claim are rarely granted.
You write your motion. You file your motion with the court clerk. The court clerk inserts the date and time your motion will be heard by the judge. You serve (mail) your motion to the other side.
A motion to dismiss is filed when a party believes that the complaint is legally invalid, which can be based on a variety of grounds.
The first lines of your motion should state your name and role in the case, and what you are asking the judge to do. Traditionally, the first line begins "Comes now the defendant," followed by your name. Then you state that you're asking the court to dismiss the plaintiff's complaint.
The plaintiff must give you responses to your request for admissions within 30 days. You do not need to do anything if you do not get a response. The plaintiff has 30 days to deny or object to the statements.
Each court has different rules about how long you have to respond to this motion, but usually you will have at least two or three weeks to file an opposition to the defendant's motion to dismiss.
The motion must include a separate "Notice of Motion" which includes a brief summary of the nature of the motion, the deadline for filing a response, and if there is a hearing, the date, time, and location of the hearing.