(a) Caption—Names of Parties. Every pleading shall contain a caption setting forth the title of the court, the judicial district in which the action is filed, the city in which the court is located, the title of the action (i.e., the names of the parties), the case number, and a designation as in Rule 7(a). In the complaint the title of the action shall include the names of all the parties, but in other pleadings it is sufficient to state the name of the first party on each side with appropriate indication of other parties. When identifying parties in the complaint, the plaintiff shall include as much of each party’s full legal name as is known to the plaintiff.
Rule 10.Form of Pleadings.
Last amended October 15, 2000 · Last verified July 6, 2026
In one sentenceRule 10 tells every Alaska pleading how to look — a caption naming the court, judicial district, parties, and case number, claims broken into numbered paragraphs, and any statute relied on cited by name — and ties its formatting back to Rule 76's paper requirements.
Full Text of Rule 10
(b) Paragraphs—Separate Statements. All averments of claim or defense shall be made in numbered paragraphs, the contents of each of which shall be limited as far as practicable to a statement of a single set of circumstances; and a paragraph may be referred to by number in all succeeding pleadings. Each claim founded upon a separate transaction or occurrence and each defense other than denials shall be stated in a separate count or defense whenever a separation facilitates the clear presentation of the matters set forth.
(c) Adoption by Reference—Exhibits. Statements in a pleading may be adopted by reference in a different part of the same pleading or in another pleading or in any motion. A copy of any written instrument which is an exhibit to a pleading is a part thereof for all purposes.
(d) Title of Pleading—Citation of Statute. A party filing a complaint, counterclaim, or cross-claim seeking relief under any specific statute is required to cite the statute relied upon in parentheses following the title of the pleading or in the heading for the section asserting the statutory claim.
Amendment History
(Adopted by SCO 5 October 9, 1959; amended by SCO 1415 effective October 15, 2000)
Notes
Note: AS 10.06.915, as enacted by ch. 166, § 1, SLA 1988, amended Civil Rule 10 by requiring that certain documents be attached to a complaint that appeals the disapproval of a writing under AS 10.06.915 by the commissioner of commerce and economic development.
Plain-English Summary
Every pleading needs a caption: the court's title, the judicial district, the city where the court sits, the title of the action (the parties' names), the case number, and a designation of the pleading's type under Rule 7(a). Only the complaint has to list every party by name; later pleadings may name just the first party on each side. Within the body, claims and defenses go in numbered paragraphs, each limited so far as practicable to a single set of circumstances, and later pleadings may refer back to an earlier paragraph by number.
Rule 10 also lets a pleading adopt an earlier statement by reference rather than repeating it, and treats an exhibit attached to a pleading as part of it for every purpose. A party relying on a specific statute has to cite it in the pleading's title or in the heading for that section, and every pleading has to follow Rule 76's formatting rules — paper size, typeface, margins, and the like — on top of Rule 10's own requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What has to be in a pleading’s caption?
The court’s title, the judicial district, the city where the court sits, the action’s title (the parties’ names), the case number, and a Rule 7(a) designation of what kind of pleading it is.
Do I need to name every party in every pleading?
Only the complaint must include every party’s name; pleadings filed after that may name just the first party on each side.
Can I attach a document to a pleading instead of retyping it?
Yes — under (c), an exhibit attached to a pleading becomes part of it for all purposes, and statements may also be adopted by reference from elsewhere in the same or another pleading.
Source & verification. The rule text, Amendment History, and Notes are reproduced verbatim from the
official Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure (Alaska R. Civ. P. 10). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Alaska (Alaska Const. art. IV, § 15). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 6, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: pleading caption Alaskanumbered paragraphs complaintform of pleadings Alaskaciting a statute in a complaintAlaska R. Civ. P. 10