Rule 8.General rules of pleading

A claim for relief needs three elements: grounds for the court's jurisdiction, unless the court already has jurisdiction and none needs to be shown; a short and plain statement showing the pleader is entitled to relief; and a demand spelling out the relief sought, which can include alternative or different types of relief in the same pleading.

A party responding to a pleading has to state its defenses and respond to each allegation — admitting it, denying it, or stating that it lacks enough knowledge to do either, which has the same effect as a denial. A party acting in good faith can deny everything with a general denial, or deny specific allegations while admitting the rest; when denying only part of an allegation, it must admit the true part and deny the rest. Silence on an allegation, other than one about the amount of damages, counts as an admission whenever a response was required.

Certain defenses — among them duress, fraud, estoppel, waiver, release, and the statute of limitations — must be raised affirmatively in the response or they risk being lost. If a party mislabels a defense as a counterclaim, or the other way around, the court can treat the pleading as though it were labeled correctly instead of penalizing the mistake. Beyond these specific requirements, the rule favors substance over form: allegations should be simple, concise, and direct with no particular legal formula required, a party may plead alternative or even inconsistent claims and defenses, and pleadings overall must be read in a way that does justice rather than trips a party on a technicality.