Opinion ID: 658104
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Willfulness of Default

Text: 38 This is not a case of a willful default or a refusal to proffer an excuse for not responding. Fuchs' conduct and pro se correspondence evidences his intent to fulfill his obligations as a litigant. He initially retained counsel and filed a timely motion under Rule 12(b)(6) to dismiss plaintiff's first amended complaint. Two months before the entry of default, he informed plaintiff's counsel and the district court that he had not received Enron's second amended complaint. Whether the defendant did or did not receive the second amended complaint in March of 1990 is disputed; what is clear is that under the case law all doubts must be resolved in favor of trial on the merits. See Sony Corp., 800 F.2d at 320; cf. Camp v. Guercio, 464 F.Supp. 343, 346 (W.D.Pa.1979) (judgment of default for failure to file timely answer could not be entered when evidence was conflicting as to whether service of amended complaint was ever accomplished). 39 Thus, assuming that Fuchs did not receive the second amended complaint, there could be no willfulness in his failure to answer that pleading. When he finally received a copy of this pleading, along with Enron's motion for entry of default, he responded immediately, making clear that he was not willing to forfeit his rights. Again, when the court entered a default against him, Fuchs assumed that it had done so without reading his June 11 letter and affidavit, and promptly applied for a motion to set aside the entry. Unlike the defendant in Action S.A., 951 F.2d at 507, who deliberately chose not to appear in an action, Fuchs made a good faith effort to adhere to the rules of the court and to protect his rights, and therefore did not willfully default.