Once a claim has been formally issued, what must happen within four months?

• A. The court must issue judgment
• B. The defendant must admit liability
• C. The claim form must be amended
• D. The claim must be served on the defendant

Answer: (D)

Once the claim form has been issued, the next mandatory step is to serve it on the defendant within four months. This service formally brings the defendant into the proceedings and starts their deadline to respond. If the claim form isn’t served within that period (unless the court extends the time for good reason), the claim may be struck out for want of service. Judgment doesn’t come automatically after issue; it follows after the defendant has had a chance to file a defense (or after other steps like a default judgment, if appropriate). The defendant isn’t required to admit liability at this stage, and amending the claim form isn’t the immediate requirement—amendments can be made later if needed.