Was Nethercott in jail when the Civil case came up? What are the provisions for inmates when it comes to answering a Civil - as opposed to a Criminal - court case?
I do not know if he was in jail or not when the civil case was filed. In order to get a default, there must have been proper service on the defendant, which you can certainly get in prison. A prisoner can send out legal mail to answer a complaint, or could get a lawayer. I'm pretty sure lots of minutemen supporters would have been happy to represent him pro bono, had he chosen.