What is a Summons in a Civil Lawsuit?

The Meaning of the Summons Served With a Complaint

After a plaintiff files a civil complaint, they have to properly serve all defendants. A summons is the document issued by the court that will be served with the complaint.

The summons itself is the document that triggers your obligation to respond to the complaint. You have twenty days from service of the summons to submit a response- though this period is often extended by agreement, you should not wait ton contact an attorney so that they have time to advise you of the most appropriate response, and to prepare it.

Some things you should know:

It is the date you are served, not the date on the complaint, that starts the 20 day period.
Even if you know about the complaint from another source, you do not have to respond until you are properly served.
It is common in Massachusetts for the summons and complaint to be served by the Sheriff's Department. This can be alarming, but it is normal.

If you do not respond to the complaint, you could lose by default.

Learn more here about what to expect as a defendant in a civil lawsuit.

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Meet Our Trial Attorneys

Emily Smith-Lee is the owner and founder of slnlaw. She is a 1996 graduate of Boston College Law School. She was previously a partner at the Boston office of a large international firm, where she worked for thirteen years, with a focus on complex business litigation. In 2009, she started the firm that became slnlaw. She has been recognized as Massachusetts Superlawyer each year since 2013, and in 2018 earned recognition as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyers of the Year for a precedent-setting victory at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. She has written a book on employment law: Rules of the Road, What You Need to Know About Employment Laws in Massachusetts, and helped thousands of clients with business and employment disputes. Emily has handled cases at every level of the state system, in the federal trial court, and before the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Elijah Bresley: Eli is a 2014 graduate of Seton Hall Law school, and has worked with slnlaw since 2020. He previously worked for a boutique employment law firm outside of Boston, and then for the Labor and Employment department of a large Boston firm. He also spent a year clerking for the judges of the Superior Court in Hartford, Connecticut. Eli has successfully defended numerous employers in the MCAD, and litigated other business and employment disputes throughout the state court system and in the federal trial court.

Sharleen Tinnin: Sharleen is a 2010 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, and has been with slnlaw since 2023. Prior to joining slnlaw, she worked with King, Tilden, McEttrick & Brink, P.C. on complex civil litigation matters. She previously worked for the United States Department of Justice, and received an "Excellence in Justice" award in 2017. Sharleen has litigated both plaintiff and defendant cases in the state court system, MCAD, and the federal trial court.