There shall be one form of action to be known as "civil action".
§ 2002.One Form of Action
Chapter 39: Oklahoma Pleading Code · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2002 abolishes Oklahoma's old separate forms of action and declares that every civil lawsuit, whether it once would have been framed at law or in equity, now proceeds as a single "civil action".
Full Text of § 2002
Amendment History
Added by Laws 1984, SB 417, c. 164, §2, eff. 11/1/1984.
Plain-English Summary
Before 1984, Oklahoma pleading -- like the pre-1938 federal system -- sorted lawsuits into different procedural boxes depending on whether the underlying claim sounded in law or in equity. Section 2002 erases that boundary in one line: whatever the substance of the claim, there's only one procedural vehicle to bring it, the "civil action." A plaintiff no longer picks a form of action; the plaintiff just files suit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this mean legal and equitable claims are now treated identically in every respect?
The section merges the forms of action a plaintiff files under, though substantive differences between legal and equitable relief, such as the right to a jury, still depend on the nature of the claim itself.
What did Oklahoma call lawsuits before 1984?
Practitioners had to choose among distinct forms of action tied to whether a claim sounded in law or in equity; Section 2002 replaced all of them with the single "civil action."
Is this the same as a federal rule?
Yes -- Section 2002 tracks Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 2 closely, part of the Oklahoma Pleading Code's broader adoption of federal-style notice pleading in 1984.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: oklahoma one form of action12 O.S. § 2002civil action oklahoma FRCP 2law and equity merger oklahoma