No one is above the law - even celebrities. If a petition is filed against a person and that person fails to respond in any way, he/she will likely find him/herself in a worse situation than if he/she had just filed an answer. This is because a failure to respond can result in the petitioner getting everything he/she requested in the petition.
Porn actress Aareon Clark recently filed a paternity case against Chief Keef alleging that he is the father of her one year old boy. Chief Keef: Judge Says…You Are The Father, tmz.com, July 1, 2017. Keef didn't file any response to the petition nor did he object to the case. As a result, the Judge issued an Order declaring him to be the father of the child, despite the fact that he Keef has never taken a paternity test. Can the Judge do this??
Perhaps surprisingly, the Judge was within his discretion to issue this Order. In Georgia, if an answer has not been filed in a paternity action within the required time, the case automatically goes into default. O.C.G.A. § 19-7-47. The respondent then has 15 days from the day of the default to reopen the case. However, if the case is still in default after these 15 days, "the plaintiff at any time thereafter shall be entitled to verdict and judgment by default, in open court or in chambers, as if every item and paragraph of the complaint or other original pleading were supported by proper evidence." Id. Thus, by ignoring the paternity case filed against him, the allegations in Clark's paternity petition were deemed to be supported by proper evidence and Keef is now the legal father of the child, despite never taking a paternity test.
This case shows the importance of responding to any lawsuit with which you are served, especially if you disagree with any of the allegations therein. If you do not respond, the Judge will assume that you have no objections to the relief sought by the Petitioner and will likely issue an Order granting everything the Petitioner is seeking. Even if you have no objection to the Petition, it is still prudent to file a response so that your position is on the record and you will be sure to be notified of any further proceedings in the case.