How long is too long to reply to a text?
Guilty
The short answer
For a direct question, more than a day is too long, and more than a week needs an apology. Casual messages can wait longer.
The ruling
From the public record. Names are replaced with roles.
Small claims division
Case no.PC-2026-06053
The friend who asked about dinner v. The friend who replied eleven days later
Filed 10/19/2026
- Plaintiff
- The friend who asked about dinner
- Defendant
- The friend who replied eleven days later
Statement of claim
I asked my friend if she wanted to come to dinner on the 14th. She answered haha yes on the 25th. The dinner was on the 14th. She was online every day in between.
Charge
Replying to a dated invitation eleven days after it was sent, and after the date had passed
Judgment
Guilty
Friend found guilty of accepting a dinner invite eleven days after the dinner
Sentence
The defendant hosts the next dinner, and answers any question with a date in it within 24 hours for the next month.
How the court usually rules on this
The court separates messages that need an answer from messages that do not. A question about plans, money or timing should get a reply within a day, even if the reply is that you will check. Memes, links and news can wait without penalty. A late reply that ignores the delay is judged more harshly than one that admits it.
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