The order of pleading shall be as follows:
Section 10-6.Pleadings Allowed and Their Order
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceConnecticut sets a fixed sequence for civil pleadings, running from the complaint through motions to dismiss, revise, and strike, to the answer and, finally, the plaintiff's reply to special defenses.
Full Text of Section 10-6
(1) The plaintiff’s complaint.
(2) The defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint.
(3) The defendant’s request to revise the complaint.
(4) The defendant’s motion to strike the complaint.
(5) The defendant’s answer (including any special defenses) to the complaint.
(6) The plaintiff’s request to revise the defendant’s answer.
(7) The plaintiff’s motion to strike the defendant’s answer.
(8) The plaintiff’s reply to any special defenses.
Amendment History
(P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 112.)
Plain-English Summary
Section 10-6 lays out the required order of pleading in a Connecticut civil case. It begins with the plaintiff’s complaint, followed by the defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint, the defendant’s request to revise the complaint, and the defendant’s motion to strike the complaint.
After those challenges to the complaint, the sequence moves to the defendant’s answer, including any special defenses, then the plaintiff’s request to revise the answer, the plaintiff’s motion to strike the answer, and finally the plaintiff’s reply to any special defenses raised in the answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the order of pleading in a Connecticut civil case?
Section 10-6 sets the sequence as: the complaint, a motion to dismiss, a request to revise the complaint, a motion to strike the complaint, the answer with any special defenses, a request to revise the answer, a motion to strike the answer, and the reply to special defenses.
Where does a motion to dismiss fit in the Connecticut pleading sequence?
It comes right after the complaint, as the second step in the order of pleading under Section 10-6.
What is the last pleading in the Connecticut order of pleading?
The plaintiff’s reply to any special defenses raised in the defendant’s answer is the final step listed in Section 10-6.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 10-6). Prescribed by the Judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 51-14). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: order of pleadings CT civil casesequence of pleadings Connecticutwhen to file motion to strike answerreply to special defenses order