The summons usually arrives at the worst possible moment. A process server catches you in the parking lot. A deputy hands paperwork to a front-desk employee who has no idea what it is. An envelope marked “SUMMONS” lands on your registered agent and sits in an inbox for a day before anyone notices.
Here is the part most business owners do not realize: the most important work in your entire defense often happens in the first three days, long before any lawyer files anything with the court. The decisions you make in the first 72 hours can shrink your exposure, preserve defenses, protect your insurance coverage, and in some cases end the case early. The mistakes you make in those same 72 hours can be almost impossible to undo.
This is a practical, hour-by-hour playbook for what to do the moment your business is served.
Why 72 Hours, Not 20 Days?
You have probably heard that a Florida defendant gets 20 days to respond. That is true. Under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.140, a defendant generally must serve a response within 20 days after being served. In federal court, the window is 21 days under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12.
But treating that deadline as a 20-day grace period is a trap. The deadline is for filing your formal response. The real work happens earlier:
- Evidence starts disappearing the moment normal business continues.
- Insurance policies often require prompt notice, not eventual notice.
- The best early defenses depend on facts and documents that are freshest right now.
- Your lawyer needs runway to evaluate the complaint, not a panicked phone call on day 19.
Think of it this way. The 20 days belong to the court. The first 72 hours belong to you, and they are when you set the entire case in motion.
Hour 0: Confirm You Were Actually Served, and When
The clock does not start when you “find out” about a lawsuit. It starts when you are legally served. Florida spells out how valid service happens in Section 48.031 of the Florida Statutes, which governs personal service and substitute service of process.
So your very first task is to pin down two facts:
- The exact date of service. This is Day 1 for calculating your deadline. Write it down. Photograph the envelope or the server’s notation if there is one.
- Who was served and how. Service on the wrong person, at the wrong address, or in a way that does not satisfy the statute can be a defense in itself.
If you only heard about the suit secondhand, through a customer, a vendor, or an online docket search, you may have a service defect worth raising. Document everything about how the information reached you.
Hours 1 to 4: Read the Documents and Resist Two Bad Instincts
Most commercial lawsuits arrive as two documents: a summons (the court’s formal notice that you have been sued and how long you have to answer) and a complaint (the plaintiff’s story of what you allegedly did and what they want).
Read both carefully, then read them again. Note:
- The court, the case number, and the county or federal district.
- Each count, or cause of action, against you.
- The specific legal theories, such as breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, or breach of fiduciary duty.
- The damages demanded, and whether the plaintiff seeks attorneys’ fees, an injunction, or other relief.
- Any hearing or deadline already on the calendar.
Then fight off the two instincts that sink defendants:
Do not ignore it. Hoping it goes away is how businesses end up with a default. More on that danger below.
Do not call the plaintiff to “work it out.” Anything you say can become evidence. A friendly explanation, a partial apology, or an attempt to clarify “what really happened” can all be used against you. Opposing counsel is trained to keep you talking. Save the conversation for your lawyer.
Hours 4 to 24: Lock Down Your Evidence
The moment litigation is reasonably foreseeable, your business has a legal duty to preserve relevant documents and data. Letting routine deletion continue can expose you to sanctions for spoliation. In federal court, the consequences of failing to preserve electronically stored information are spelled out in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37, and Florida courts take the same duty seriously.
Before the first full day ends, issue a litigation hold and suspend your information destruction protocols. In practice, that means:
- Pausing automatic email and document deletion rules.
- Telling employees, in writing, not to delete or alter anything potentially relevant.
- Preserving texts, voicemails, project files, accounting records, and contracts.
- Securing devices and accounts of any departing employees.
This single step protects you in two directions at once. It keeps you out of spoliation trouble, and it captures the evidence your defense may depend on while it is still intact.
Hours 24 to 48: Notify Every Insurance Carrier That Might Cover You
This is the step businesses regret skipping more than any other. Many commercial policies are claims-made and require prompt written notice. Late notice is one of the most common reasons a carrier denies coverage that would otherwise have applied.
Pull every policy that might respond: general liability, professional liability or errors and omissions, employment practices liability, directors and officers, and cyber. Read the notice provisions and report the claim in writing within the stated window. If you are unsure whether a policy applies, tender it anyway and let counsel sort out priority later. It is worth confirming early whether the lawsuit triggers an insurance policy at all.
Notifying your insurer is a separate obligation from answering the complaint. Do not let the response deadline slip while you wait on a coverage decision.
Hours 24 to 72: Engage Defense Counsel and Build the First Plan
You will not get a second chance at a first impression with the court, the plaintiff, or your insurer. The sooner experienced counsel is involved, the more options stay open.
Look for a business litigation team that:
- Regularly practices in the relevant forum, whether Florida state court, federal court, or a specialized division.
- Has handled disputes in your industry.
- Talks plainly about strategy, timeline, and budget.
- Runs an early case assessment instead of reflexively billing for motions.
Within the first 72 hours, a strong defense team starts evaluating the levers that can resolve a case quickly: jurisdiction, venue, sufficiency of service, the statute of limitations, and whether the complaint actually states a valid claim. Those issues alone sometimes end a case or force an early, favorable resolution.
The One Deadline You Cannot Miss
If you take nothing else from this article, take this: calendar your response deadline today, on Day 1.
Miss it, and the plaintiff can ask the clerk to enter a default under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.500. A default can strip you of the right to contest liability and open the door to wage garnishment, bank levies, and liens against business assets. Setting a default aside is possible, but it is expensive and far from guaranteed, since it requires showing excusable neglect, a meritorious defense, and prompt action.
The deadline does not pause for weekends, holidays, vacations, or a pending coverage decision. Back-plan from Day 1 and give your lawyer room to work.
How You Respond After the First 72 Hours
Once the immediate triage is done, your counsel will help you choose among the main response options:
- Motion to dismiss. Argues that even if the allegations were true, the case should not proceed, on grounds such as lack of jurisdiction, improper venue, defective service, or failure to state a claim. A well-aimed motion can narrow or end a case. A poorly aimed one just hands the plaintiff a roadmap to fix its complaint.
- Answer with affirmative defenses. Admits or denies each allegation and raises every applicable defense, such as the statute of limitations, waiver, release, or failure to mitigate. Defenses left out of the answer can be waived, so this analysis matters.
- Counterclaim or third-party claim. If the plaintiff actually owes you, breached first, or a third party is responsible, going on offense can flip the leverage. Claims like civil theft or tortious interference can change the entire posture of the case.
Choosing among these is a strategic decision, and it is far easier when the first-72-hours groundwork is already done.
Special Note for Class Actions and High-Stakes Claims
If the complaint is styled as a class action or seeks unusually large damages, the first 72 hours matter even more. Early procedural moves can shape the entire trajectory of the case, and defeating a class action early is far cheaper than fighting one through certification. The same urgency applies to claims that threaten an injunction, a license, or your reputation. Get class action defense counsel involved immediately.
Why Professional Services Firms Feel This Most
If you run an accounting practice, consultancy, agency, brokerage, design firm, or medical practice, your risk profile is distinct. As a professional services business, you carry a high duty of care, your engagement letters often control the outcome, and a single complaint can trigger regulatory inquiries and lost referrals. For these firms, a disciplined first-72-hours response is not just procedure. It often decides whether a dispute becomes a footnote or a multi-year drag on the practice.
The First 72 Hours, in Order
If your business was just served, here is the short version:
- Confirm the date and method of service. That date is Day 1.
- Read the summons and complaint closely.
- Stop talking to the plaintiff and stop posting about the matter anywhere.
- Issue a written litigation hold immediately.
- Notify every insurance carrier that might cover the claim.
- Engage experienced defense counsel.
- Calendar the response deadline and back-plan from it.
Lawsuits are stressful, but they are manageable when the first three days are handled with discipline. Many of the businesses we defend never expected to be in litigation, which is one reason we also serve as outside general counsel for small and growing businesses, so problems get caught early. If your business has just been served, contact Jimerson Birr, and our Lawsuit Defense team will help you put the first 72 hours to work.