Rule 2.One Form of Action
Part I. Scope of Rules - One Form of Action · Last verified September 4, 2026
Full Text of Rule 2
Plain-English Summary
Rule 2 is one sentence long and does a great deal of quiet work. Before it, a party had to choose a form of proceeding and could lose for choosing wrong. After it, there is one form of action, and the question is what relief the facts justify rather than what label the pleading wore.
The rule is identical to its civil counterpart, and the parenthetical in the text says so. In a domestic relations case the practical effect shows up in pleading: a complaint for divorce that also seeks support, custody and an injunction is one action, not several, and Rule 8's short and plain statement is all the form the rules require.
Note the terminology that follows from it. These rules speak of complaints and answers, not petitions and libels. Older Massachusetts practice used libel for a divorce pleading; the one-form-of-action rule is part of why it does not any more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a divorce case a civil action?
Yes. Rule 2 makes every proceeding these rules govern a single form of proceeding called a civil action, which is why a divorce begins with a complaint under Rule 3 rather than with any special form of pleading.
Does Rule 2 mean law and equity are merged?
It means there is one procedural form for both. A party does not plead in law or in equity and does not risk dismissal for choosing the wrong side of that line. What relief is available still depends on the substantive law and on the court's own jurisdiction, which Rule 82 leaves untouched.
Do I still call it a libel for divorce?
Not under these rules. The pleading that starts the case is a complaint, and Rule 3 says how it is filed. Older reported cases use the earlier vocabulary.