In litigation what's the difference between an answer and a response?

Answer 1

In terms of written pleadings, an Answer is the first document filed by a defendant in a lawsuit. In the answer the defendant answers or responds to each individual allegation made in the Complaint. If the defendant does not answer the complaint, the court might enter judgment against defendant. A Response is a more general category of pleadings meaning just about every type of paper that responds to some paper filed by the other party, whether it is the plaintiff or defendant. Example: The defendant files a motion to dismiss or for summary judgment or for additional discovery. The plaintiff is required to respond to the request and give reasons why the request should be denied or the court will most likely grant the relief requested. Note that the "Answer" is a responsive pleading, therefore it could be called a Response in a way. But Responses that are in answer to requests during trial like the ones above and not called Answers. The term Answer is left to describe the defendant's pleading that gives his or her answers to the allegations of the Complaint