Rule 10.Form of Pleadings
Part III. Pleadings and Motions · Last amended May 1, 2010 · Last verified September 4, 2026
Full Text of Rule 10
Rule History
Amended January 24, 1978, effective February 21, 1978; amended March 5, 2010, effective May 1, 2010.
Reporter’s Notes
Reporter's Notes (2010) Rule 10(e) was added in 2010 to recognize the existing practice by which some attorneys include text on both the front and back of a page. The language of Rule 10(e) is similar to a 1999 amendment to Appellate Rule 20(a)(4) regarding briefs and other documents filed in the appellate courts.
Although the two-sided document language has been added to Rule 10, which governs the form of pleadings, the provisions of Rule 10, including the two-sided document language, are also applicable to motions and other papers filed under the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure. See Rule 7(b)(2).
Plain-English Summary
Rule 10 is identical to its civil counterpart, and the source says so in a line of its own before subsection (a).
Subsection (a) requires a caption with the name of the court, the county, the title of the action, the docket number, and a designation as in Rule 7(a). The complaint's title names all the parties; other pleadings may name the first party on each side with an appropriate indication of the others.
Subsection (b) requires averments in numbered paragraphs, each limited so far as practicable to a single set of circumstances, so that a paragraph can be referred to by number later. Each claim founded on a separate transaction or occurrence, and each defense other than a denial, goes in a separate count or defense whenever separation helps present the matter clearly.
Subsection (c) allows adoption by reference within the same pleading, in another pleading, or in a motion, and makes a written instrument attached as an exhibit part of the pleading for all purposes.
Subsection (d) is a domestic relations detail worth noting: the complaint, and any later pleading stating a claim against a person not originally a party, must state the residences or usual places of business of the party stating the claim and of each person against whom it is stated, if known — and if unknown, must say so.
Subsection (e) was added in 2010 and is one sentence: the text of any document may appear on both sides of the page. The Reporter's Note explains that it recognizes existing practice and follows a 1999 appellate amendment, and adds that Rule 10's provisions reach motions and other papers, not only pleadings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Massachusetts pleadings be printed double-sided?
Yes. Rule 10(e), added in 2010, provides that the text of any document may appear on both sides of the page. The Reporter's Note adds that Rule 10's provisions, including this one, apply to motions and other papers as well as to pleadings.
Do I have to number the paragraphs?
Rule 10(b) requires all averments of claim or defense to be made in numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances, so that a paragraph may be referred to by number in later pleadings.
Does the complaint have to state where the parties live?
Rule 10(d) requires the complaint, and any later pleading stating a claim against someone not originally a party, to state the respective residences or usual places of business of the party stating the claim and of each person against whom a claim is stated, if known to the pleader. If unknown, the pleading must say so.
Is an attached exhibit part of the pleading?
Yes. Rule 10(c) provides that a copy of any written instrument which is an exhibit to a pleading is a part of it for all purposes.