Failure to appear is the legal term for the failure of a defendant or respondent to appear at (or within) the stated time before a tribunal as directed in a summons. Where the conduct alleged in the summons or complaint is an infraction or summary offence, failure to appear is a crime for which a bench-warrant can be issued if the defendant promised to appear. If the conduct alleged is a tort or other cause for civil action, failure to appear generally results in a default judgment by the court in favor of the plaintiff/petitioner.
In the United States
Failure to appear in U.S. federal law is an offense punishable by a prison term depending on the seriousness of the offense the person was being sentenced for:
References
Failure to appear Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA