It seems logical that only a named defendant(s) (or its representative)in a case can/should answer the summons or complaint, within the required time limits.

However, I can't find the law that states this.

In my case, at the last hour (3 days before the deadline), a future interested party answers the summons without representing either defendants (2), without mentioning either defandants in the main body of its answer, and stated it will apply to the Court to become an interested party down the road.

To me an interested party (let alone a future interested party) is not a defendant, and can't answer the summons.

I asked for a default judgement because neither Defendants that I named in my complaint answered the summons within the time limits of the summons.

The pathetic clerks office (a judge never reads any case in my opinion) says that the answer was sufficient to continue the case as if the defendants answered.

What the is going on!! (where is the law or case where a non-defendant can answer a summons.

What if both defendants knew they couldn't win the case and wanted the case to be defaulted. Now I'm supposed to fight this new interested party?