Once you have properly served the complaint, the defendant ordinarily must respond with an answer, a motion to dismiss, or a motion for summary judgment. If the defendant ignores a properly served complaint, you may pursue a motion for default and default judgment. Read Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55 for information about default and default judgment.  The Handbook for Self-Represented Litigants provides additional information about how a case proceeds through the court system after a complaint is filed.