(a) Request for admission. — A party may serve one or more written requests to any other party for the admission of (1) the genuineness of any relevant documents or electronically stored information described in or exhibited with the request, or (2) the truth of any relevant matters of fact set forth in the request. Copies of documents shall be served with the request unless they have been or are otherwise furnished or made available for inspection and copying. Each matter of which an admission is requested shall be separately set forth.
Rule 2-424.Admission of facts and genuineness of documents
Circuit Court · Last amended January 1, 2008 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceLets a party ask another party to admit facts or the genuineness of documents, with silence after 30 days treated as an admission.
Full Text of Rule 2-424
(b) Response. — Each matter of which an admission is requested shall be deemed admitted unless, within 30 days after service of the request or within 15 days after the date on which that party’s initial pleading or motion is required, whichever is later, the party to whom the request is directed serves a response signed by the party or the party’s attorney. As to each matter of which an admission is requested, the response shall set forth each request for admission and shall specify an objection, or shall admit or deny the matter, or shall set forth in detail the reason why the respondent cannot truthfully admit or deny it. The reasons for any objection shall be stated. A denial shall fairly meet the substance of the requested admission, and when good faith requires that a party qualify an answer or deny only a part of the matter of which an admission is requested, the party shall specify so much of it as is true and deny or qualify the remainder. A respondent may not give lack of information or knowledge as a reason for failure to admit or deny unless the respondent states that after reasonable inquiry the information known or readily obtainable by the respondent is insufficient to enable the respondent to admit or deny. A party who considers that a matter of which an admission is requested presents a genuine issue for trial may not, on that ground alone, object to the request but the party may, subject to the provisions of section (e) of this Rule, deny the matter or set forth reasons for not being able to admit or deny it.
(c) Determination of sufficiency of response. — The party who has requested the admission may file a motion challenging the timeliness of the response or the sufficiency of any answer or objection. A motion challenging the sufficiency of an answer or objection shall set forth (1) the request, (2) the answer or objection, and (3) the reasons why the answer or objection is insufficient. Unless the court determines that an objection is justified, it shall order that an answer be served. If the court determines that an answer does not comply with the requirements of this Rule, it may order either that the matter is admitted or that an amended answer be served. If the court determines that the response was served late, it may order the response stricken. The court may, in place of these orders, determine that final disposition of the request be made at a pretrial conference or at a designated time prior to trial.
(d) Effect of admission. — Any matter admitted under this Rule is conclusively established unless the court on motion permits withdrawal or amendment. The court may permit withdrawal or amendment if the court finds that it would assist the presentation of the merits of the action and the party who obtained the admission fails to satisfy the court that withdrawal or amendment will prejudice the party in maintaining the action or defense on the merits. Any admission made by a party under this Rule is for the purpose of the pending action only and is not an admission for any other purpose, nor may it be used against that party in any other proceeding.
(e) Expenses of failure to admit. — If a party fails to admit the genuineness of any document or the truth of any matter as requested under this Rule and if the party requesting the admissions later proves the genuineness of the document or the truth of the matter, the party may move for an order requiring the other party to pay the reasonable expenses incurred in making the proof, including reasonable attorney’s fees. The court shall enter the order unless it finds that (1) an objection to the request was sustained pursuant to section (c) of this Rule, or (2) the admission sought was of no substantial importance, or (3) the party failing to admit had reasonable ground to expect to prevail on the matter, or (4) there was other good reason for the failure to admit.
Amendment History
Amended Mar. 22, 1991, effective July 1, 1991; Nov. 12, 2003, effective Jan. 1, 2004; Dec. 4, 2007, effective Jan. 1, 2008.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is derived as follows:
Section (a) is derived from former Rule 421 a and the 1970 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 36 (a).
Section (b) is derived from former Rule 421 b 1 and 2 and the 1970 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 36 (a).
Section (c) is derived from former Rule 421 d.
Section (d) is derived from the 1970 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 36 (b) and former Rule 421 c and f.
Section (e) is derived from former Rule 421 e.
Plain-English Summary
Requests for admission narrow a case by locking down facts and document authenticity that shouldn't need to be proven at trial. Under Rule 2-424, a party can serve written requests asking another party to admit the genuineness of documents or electronically stored information, or the truth of specific facts, with each matter set out separately and copies of any referenced documents attached. What makes the rule unusual is its default: a matter is deemed admitted if the party served doesn't respond within 30 days of service, or 15 days after its initial pleading or motion is due, whichever is later.
A response has to address each request individually: admit it, deny it, object with reasons stated, or explain in detail why the party can't truthfully do either. A denial has to meet the substance of what's asked, and if only part of a request is true, the response has to specify which part and qualify the rest rather than denying the whole thing. Claiming ignorance only works if the party states that reasonable inquiry left it without enough information to answer, and a party can't refuse to respond just because the request touches a genuine trial issue. If the requesting party thinks a response is late, evasive, or insufficient, it can move for a determination under section (c); the court can order a better answer, deem the matter admitted, strike a late response, or defer final resolution to a pretrial conference. Once admitted, a matter is conclusively established for that case (though the court can allow withdrawal or amendment if it would help resolve the case on the merits without unfairly prejudicing the other side), and the admission has no effect beyond this action. Section (e) adds teeth: if a party denies something the requesting party later proves true, the court generally must order the denying party to pay the reasonable expenses of that proof, including attorney's fees, unless one of a handful of exceptions applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I don't respond to a request for admission in time?
The matter is deemed admitted. The deadline is 30 days after service of the request, or 15 days after your initial pleading or motion is due, whichever is later, so missing it isn't a minor slip; it can conclusively establish the fact against you for the rest of the case.
Can I object to a request for admission just because it raises a real dispute?
No. The rule specifically says a party can't refuse to admit or deny solely because the matter presents a genuine issue for trial. You can still deny the request or explain why you can't admit or deny it, but a bare objection on that ground alone isn't allowed.
What if I don't know whether something is true?
You can say so, but only if you state that you made reasonable inquiry and the information available to you is still insufficient to admit or deny. A denial has to address the substance of the request, and if only part of it is true, you have to specify what you can admit and deny or qualify the rest.
What happens once something is admitted under this rule?
It's conclusively established for the pending action unless the court permits withdrawal or amendment. That admission applies only to this case; it isn't an admission for any other proceeding and can't be used against the party elsewhere.
What if the other party denies something I later prove is true?
You can move for the reasonable expenses of proving it, including attorney's fees, and the court has to award them unless the denying party's objection was sustained, the fact wasn't substantially important, the party had reasonable grounds to expect to win on it, or there's some other good reason for the denial.
Source & verification. Rule text, Committee Note, Source note, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Maryland Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Maryland. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: request for admission marylandRFArequests for admissionsdeemed admitted marylandadmission of facts and genuineness of documentsexpenses for failure to admit