UPDATE: Personally served tenant tried to file an Answer 10 days later, which was before the sub-served unknown occupants’ time to file an Answer expired. The court clerk told him, he could not file an Answer as my Entry of Default had already been filed.
The tenant filing an Answer would have required a trial date to be set, which is scheduled in approximately 20 days. If I had followed Nolo Press’ advice in, “The California Landlord’s Law Book: Evictions,” I would have lost more than $1,000 in rent @ $2,000/month and allow the tenant to contest the lawsuit. Nolo Press book excerpt:
I disagree with Nolo Press' quote, "take all the defaults simultaneously." IME, I believe you should file separate defaults for each defendant, as soon as the law allows.On the other hand, if you’re suing more than one person and they were served on different days (or by different methods) , each will have a different date by which he must respond. Your best bet is to prepare one set of papers with all defaulting defendants’ names on them, wait until the response time has passed for all defendants, and take all the defaults simultaneously.

