I can't think of any legitimate ones. They are probably going to say their car broke down, their alarm didn't go off, etc... Lol! But, I personally have experienced that nothing in the courts is absolute and ultimately the judge rules. I didn't get a reply to a summons and complaint in within the 20 day response period. It was not an automatic win for the plaintiff, but rather I had to pay a fine (penalty) before the judge allowed my response to be considered.

I believe, as you do, that the plaintiffs in this case are filing a frivolous, bad faith lawsuit that was timed to impact Teco's announcement of a commercial well (Mitchell #3) and drive down the stock price.