I have written before about entry of default and default judgments under G.S. 1A-1, Rule 55. My colleagues have also written about general appearances. But the word “appearance” in the default judgment context can be perplexing, so this post aims to untangle this and other often-confused terms.

For simplicity, this post will refer to the party seeking default judgment as the plaintiff and the party against whom default has been entered as the defendant, but defendants can also seek default judgments against plaintiffs on counterclaims. Rule 55(e).