As an associate attorney with London Fischer, LLP in New York, Douglas Lazzaro defends commercial transportation and car leasing businesses. As a lawyer, Douglas Lazzaro’s areas of expertise include transportation liability and civil litigation.
Filing summons and complaints is the first step in a civil lawsuit in New York. These documents serve as notice to the defendant of a lawsuit, as well as the basis for the dispute and the plaintiff's demands. The summons and complaint also inform the defendant that they have 30 days to respond to the complaint or face default.
The defendant files an answer after being served with the summons and complaint. In most cases, the defendant has 20 to 30 days to file an answer. The defendant has 20 days to respond if they were personally served inside the state of New York. The answer is a brief response to the complaint's charges, usually admitting or denying depending on the defendant's knowledge and belief.
Discovery is the next step in the lawsuit process. The discovery process entails the parties exchanging data and documents. Using interrogatories and depositions to get the other side to answer specific questions is typically performed in discovery.
Each party may practice pretrial motions at any time after pleadings are made. A petition for summary judgment or a request to dismiss the lawsuit are examples of pre-trial motions.
