Rule 55.11.Averments, How Made.

Every averment of a claim or defense goes into a numbered paragraph, and each paragraph should be limited, as far as practicable, to a single set of circumstances. Numbering matters because it lets later pleadings reference an earlier paragraph by number instead of restating it, keeping the case file easier to track across rounds of pleading.

The rule also calls for separation at a higher level: each claim founded on a separate transaction or occurrence, and each defense other than a plain denial, should get its own count or defense whenever separating them makes the case clearer. It’s a flexibility standard instead of a rigid rule — separation is required when it facilitates clear presentation, not in every conceivable case.