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Rule 12.Defenses and Objections: When and How Presented; Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings; Consolidating Motions; Waiving Defenses; Pretrial Hearing

Enacted effective October 1, 2011 · Last verified June 26, 2026

In one sentenceRule 12 sets the deadlines for serving a responsive pleading and lists the defenses—such as lack of jurisdiction or failure to state a claim—that a party may raise by pre-answer motion, while spelling out which defenses are lost if not raised on time.

Full Text of Rule 12

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i)

(a) Time to Serve a Responsive Pleading.
(1) In General. Unless another time is specified by this rule or a statute, the time for serving a responsive pleading is as follows:
(A) A defendant must serve an answer within 21 days after being served with the summons and complaint, unless the court orders otherwise under Rule 4(c)(2)(C).
(B) A party must serve an answer to a counterclaim or crossclaim within 21 days after being served with the pleading that states the counterclaim or crossclaim.
(C) A party must serve a reply to an answer within 21 days after being served with an order to reply, unless the order specifies a different time.
(2) State of Montana and Its Agencies, Officers, or Employees Sued in an Official Capacity. The State of Montana, a state agency, or a state officer or employee sued only in an official capacity must serve an answer to a complaint, counterclaim, or crossclaim within 42 days after service on the attorney general.
(3) State Officers or Employees Sued in an Individual Capacity. A state officer or employee sued in an individual capacity for an act or omission occurring in connection with duties performed on the state’s behalf must serve an answer to a complaint, counterclaim, or crossclaim within 42 days after service on the officer or employee or service on the attorney general, whichever is later.
(4) Effect of a Motion. Unless the court sets a different time, serving a motion under this rule alters these periods as follows:
(A) if the court denies the motion or postpones its disposition until trial, the responsive pleading must be served within 14 days after notice of the court’s action; or
(B) if the court grants a motion for a more definite statement, the responsive pleading must be served within 14 days after the more definite statement is served.
(b) How to Present Defenses. Every defense to a claim for relief in any pleading must be asserted in the responsive pleading if one is required. But a party may assert the following defenses by motion:
(1) lack of subject-matter jurisdiction;
(2) lack of personal jurisdiction;
(3) improper venue;
(4) insufficient process;
(5) insufficient service of process;
(6) failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted; and
(7) failure to join a party under Rule 19.
A motion asserting any of these defenses must be made before pleading if a responsive pleading is allowed. If a pleading sets out a claim for relief that does not require a responsive pleading, an opposing party may assert at trial any defense to that claim. No defense or objection is waived by joining it with one or more other defenses or objections in a responsive pleading or in a motion. If a court grants a motion made under subsection (3), any other defenses presented must be decided by the court in the proper venue, and not by the court in which the action is commenced.
(c) Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings. After the pleadings are closed -- but early enough not to delay trial -- a party may move for judgment on the pleadings.
(d) Result of Presenting Matters outside the Pleadings. If, on a motion under Rule 12(b)(6) or 12(c), matters outside the pleadings are presented to and not excluded by the court, the motion must be treated as one for summary judgment under Rule 56. All parties must be given a reasonable opportunity to present all the material that is pertinent to the motion.
(e) Motion for a More Definite Statement. A party may move for a more definite statement of a pleading to which a responsive pleading is allowed but which is so vague or ambiguous that the party cannot reasonably prepare a response. The motion must be made before filing a responsive pleading and must point out the defects complained of and the details desired. If the court orders a more definite statement and the order is not obeyed within 14 days after notice of the order or within the time the court sets, the court may strike the pleading or issue any other appropriate order.
(f) Motion to Strike. The court may strike from a pleading an insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter. The court may act:
(1) on its own; or
(2) on motion made by a party either before responding to the pleading or, if a response is not allowed, within 21 days after being served with the pleading.
(g) Joining Motions.
(1) Right to Join. A motion under this rule may be joined with any other motion allowed by this rule.
(2) Limitation on Further Motions. Except as provided in Rule 12(h)(2) or (3), a party that makes a motion under this rule must not make another motion under this rule raising a defense or objection that was available to the party but omitted from its earlier motion.
(h) Waiving and Preserving Certain Defenses.
(1) When Some Are Waived. A party waives any defense listed in Rule 12(b)(2)-(5) by:
(A) omitting it from a motion in the circumstances described in Rule 12(g)(2); or
(B) failing to either:
(i) make it by motion under this rule;
(ii) include it in a responsive pleading or in an amendment allowed by Rule 15(a)(1) as a matter of course; or
(iii) for the defense of improper venue, show good cause within 21 days of an event providing reason to believe that an impartial trial cannot be had in the county in which the action is commenced under section 25-2-201(2).
(2) When to Raise Others. Failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, to join a person required by Rule 19(b), or to state a legal defense to a claim may be raised:
(A) in any pleading allowed or ordered under Rule 7(a);
(B) by a motion under Rule 12(c); or
(C) at trial.
(3) Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction. If the court determines at any time that it lacks subject matter jurisdiction, the court must dismiss the action.
(i) Hearing before Trial. If a party so moves, any defense listed in Rule 12(b)(1)-(7) -- whether made in a pleading or by motion -- and a motion under Rule 12(c) must be heard and decided before trial unless the court orders a deferral until trial.
End

Plain-English Summary

Rule 12 governs the opening exchange of a lawsuit: when you have to respond, and how you can push back before you ever file an answer.

Deadlines. An ordinary defendant has 21 days after being served with the summons and complaint to serve an answer. Montana gives the government more breathing room: when the State, a state agency, or a state officer or employee is sued in an official capacity, the answer is due in 42 days after service on the attorney general. Filing a Rule 12 motion pauses the answer clock; if the motion is denied, the answer is generally due 14 days after notice of the ruling.

Defenses by motion. Most defenses belong in your answer, but Rule 12(b) lets you raise seven threshold defenses by motion first: lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue, insufficient process, insufficient service of process, failure to state a claim, and failure to join a required party. The most common of these is the motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6). If the judge looks at evidence outside the pleadings on such a motion, the motion converts into a Rule 56 summary-judgment motion, and everyone gets a chance to submit material.

Use it or lose it. Rule 12 rewards raising threshold defenses early. The defenses about personal jurisdiction, venue, process, and service (Rule 12(b)(2)–(5)) are waived if you leave them out of your first motion or responsive pleading. The defense of failure to state a claim, failure to join a required party, and the question of subject-matter jurisdiction are treated more forgivingly and can be raised later—subject-matter jurisdiction can be raised at any time, and the court must dismiss if it ever finds that jurisdiction is missing.

One Montana-specific wrinkle sits in subdivision (h): to preserve an improper-venue objection based on the belief that an impartial trial cannot be had in the county, a party must show good cause within 21 days of learning of it, tied to the venue-change statute, Montana Code Annotated § 25-2-201(2).

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to respond to a complaint in Montana?

An ordinary defendant has 21 days after being served with the summons and complaint to serve an answer. The State of Montana and its agencies, officers, or employees sued in an official capacity get 42 days after service on the attorney general.

What defenses can I raise by motion instead of in my answer?

Seven: lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue, insufficient process, insufficient service of process, failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, and failure to join a party under Rule 19.

What happens if I forget to raise a defense?

It depends on the defense. Objections to personal jurisdiction, venue, process, and service (Rule 12(b)(2)–(5)) are waived if not included in your first Rule 12 motion or responsive pleading. Failure to state a claim and failure to join a required party can be raised later, and lack of subject-matter jurisdiction can be raised at any time.

What is the difference between a motion to dismiss and a motion for judgment on the pleadings?

Both test the pleadings, but timing differs. A Rule 12(b) motion to dismiss is filed before the answer; a Rule 12(c) motion for judgment on the pleadings comes after the pleadings are closed, but early enough not to delay trial.

What if the court considers evidence outside the pleadings on a motion to dismiss?

Then the motion is treated as a motion for summary judgment under Rule 56, and all parties must get a reasonable opportunity to present pertinent material.

Source & verification. Reproduced verbatim from the Montana Code Annotated as published by the State Law Library of Montana and the Montana Legislature. This rule has not been amended since its adoption. Adopted by the Supreme Court of Montana (AF 07-0157). Last verified June 26, 2026. · Official text
Also known as: motion to dismiss12(b)(6)failure to state a claimmtdjudgment on the pleadingsmore definite statementmotion to strikelack of jurisdiction