Rule 9-202.Pleading
Last amended January 1, 2025 · Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026
Full Text of Rule 9-202
Amendment History
Maryland publishes each rule’s adoption and amendment record as a bracketed “Credits” note beneath the rule, giving the date of each Rules Order and the date it took effect. It is reproduced verbatim below.
[Adopted March 5, 2001, eff. July 1, 2001. Amended April 5, 2005, eff. July 1, 2005; Feb. 10, 2009, eff. May 1, 2009; June 7, 2011, eff. July 1, 2011; March 16, 2020; Nov. 28, 2023, eff. Jan. 1, 2024; Oct. 16, eff. Jan. 1, 2025.]
Plain-English Summary
Family law pleadings carry an obligation ordinary civil pleadings do not: the party signs personally, not just through counsel. A self-represented party must also state a daytime telephone number and an e-mail address if they have one.
Where custody is an issue, the first pleading must carry the information the Family Law Article requires — the child's residence history and the other proceedings that jurisdictional statute turns on. A complaint may be amended to add a ground for divorce that has ripened through the passage of time since filing.
Section (d) is a transitional provision with a hard edge. The authority to grant a limited divorce was repealed effective October 1, 2023, as a committee note records. A party who obtained a judgment of limited divorce before that date may still file a supplemental complaint for absolute divorce in the same action — but only if it is filed not later than two years after the limited divorce judgment was entered. Service depends on whether the defendant still has an attorney of record.
Financial statements close the rule, and which one you file depends on what is claimed. If spousal support is claimed and either party says there is no agreement about it, each party files a current financial statement in the general form, with the pleading that makes or answers the claim — and a party responding to a claim first made in an answer has 15 days after service of that answer. If child support is claimed, each party files a current financial statement under affidavit; where the guidelines are the only issue and nobody asks for a figure outside them, the shorter guidelines form is used instead of the general one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a party have to sign the pleading personally?
Yes. Rule 9-202 requires a party to personally sign each pleading they file, whether or not they have a lawyer.
Can I still get an absolute divorce after an old limited divorce?
If the limited divorce judgment was entered before October 1, 2023, you may file a supplemental complaint for absolute divorce in the same action — but not later than two years after that judgment was entered.
Which financial statement do I file?
The general form under Rule 9-203 (a) in most cases. The shorter guidelines form under Rule 9-203 (b) applies only where establishing or modifying child support under the guidelines is the only support issue and no one claims an amount outside them.
When is a financial statement due if the claim first appears in the answer?
The other party files within 15 days after service of the answer.
What if a ground for divorce only matures after I file?
The complaint may be amended under Rule 2-341 to include a ground that has become available by reason of the passage of sufficient time since filing.