I received a summons 4 days ago and don't know what to do. It states that I have 20 days to respond. What do I do?

Unless you want to have a default judgement against you, it's time to get your affairs in order and post a response.

I received a summons 4 days ago and don't know what to do. It states that I have 20 days to respond. What do I do?

The answer is simple;Respond! You have 16 days left!

Now if you want our help in how to respond, then you need to give us more info:

1) Your general locale (laws vary by area)
2) What is the summons about?
3) What instructions were you given about responding?

I agree, worst thing you can do is continue to ignore it. But to offer more help we NEED more information.

If the court has civil rules modeled after the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (as do many state courts), the rules are moderately clear regarding what to do: You file an answer (admitting or denying the several paragraphs of the complaint); or you file a motion as described in FRCP 12.

Rules may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. And if it's small claims court, the rules will vary even more. Check your local clerk of court for more information.