Which situation most clearly risks a default judgment?

• A. The jury is sequestered for the entire trial.
• B. A party fails to respond to a claim or appear in court.
• C. A judge presides over a bench trial.
• D. An exhibit log is not updated.

Answer: (B)

Default judgments arise most clearly when a party does not respond to the claim or fail to appear in court. When proper service has occurred and the defendant neither answers nor shows up, there’s no one to contest the plaintiff’s allegations, so the court may grant relief as requested in the complaint. This situation directly reflects a lack of participation in the case, which is why it creates the strongest risk of a default judgment. In contrast, sequestering a jury is a protective measure during a trial, a bench trial is simply a different way the case can be heard, and an exhibit log not being updated is a procedural/document issue that doesn’t by itself involve a party’s participation in the proceedings.