In Illinois, How to Prepare and Send an answer/Response to Complaint/Petition will depend on the type of document being responded to. For a Complaint, the Respondent must file their Answer with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the lawsuit was filed. The Answer must be signed and dated and must include: 1. A statement identifying the Respondent 2. A response to each allegation made in the Complaint 3. Any affirmative defenses that the Respondent wishes to raise in the lawsuit 4. A request for relief, if any, that the Respondent is seeking For a Petition, the Respondent must file their Response with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the Petition was filed. The Response must be signed and dated and must include: 1. A statement identifying the Respondent 2. A response to each allegation made in the Petition 3. Any affirmative defenses that the Respondent wishes to raise in the lawsuit 4. A request for relief, if any, that the Respondent is seeking In both cases, the Respondent must also serve a copy of their Answer/Response on the Petitioner/Plaintiff’s attorney. The Answer/Response must be filed and served on the opposing party within 30 days of being served with the Complaint/Petition.