When to Show Up At Court

You get something in the mail and it says that you have to go court. Do you actually have to go? What happens if y0u do not?

I actually get asked that question fairly often - every few months it seems.

The correct answer is get to court. But there is a difference between a summons and a subpoena or an Order to Appear.

You get a summons to tell you that something has been filed against you. In the family law area, they get used for divorces and some times paternity cases. Not showing up means that the other side wins automatically. Whatever needs deciding by the court gets decided without your input.

Not showing up when you get a subpoena or an Order to Appear may mean that a warrant (or a body attachment, the names differ but that is all) will issue to bring you into the court.