A court ruling in favor of one party because the other party failed to respond or appear.
Definition
A default judgment is a binding decision issued by a court when one party in a lawsuit does not respond to the complaint or fails to appear in court within the required timeframe, resulting in the other party winning the case automatically.
Why It Matters
Default judgments often indicate uncontested decisions, which can reveal critical information about legal disputes, liabilities, or debts in public records and are essential in tracing judgments and enforcement actions in investigations.