Rule 2.One form of action.

Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 9, 2026

In one sentenceRule 2 abolishes Kentucky's old separation between actions at law and suits in equity, replacing every civil proceeding with one unified vehicle called a “civil action.”

Full Text of Rule 2

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There shall be one form of action to be known as "civil action."

Amendment History

The source reproduced here (current through June 18, 2026) records no amendment to this rule since its original adoption — no History line appears for it in the compiled rules. For the underlying adopting order and any later amendments, see the West’s Rules & Procedures.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 2 is one sentence long, but it erases a distinction that once split civil litigation into two separate tracks. Kentucky courts used to treat legal claims, like a suit for money damages, and equitable claims, like a request for an injunction, as different kinds of proceedings, each with its own forms and procedures. Rule 2 collapses that split. Whatever the claim — damages, an injunction, a declaration of rights — a litigant files it the same way, as a “civil action,” under one set of rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Kentucky still separate lawsuits “at law” from suits “in equity”?

No. Rule 2 merges both into a single “civil action,” so the same filing and procedure rules apply regardless of whether the claim seeks damages, an injunction, or another remedy.

Why does a Kentucky complaint just say “civil action” instead of naming a type of suit?

Because Rule 2 does away with separate categories of lawsuit. Every case in Kentucky's Court of Justice proceeds as one form of action, the civil action.

Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the official Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (Ky. R. Civ. P. 2). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Kentucky (Ky. Const. § 116). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. · Official source

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