Rule 18.Claims for Relief

Rule 18 is Oregon’s baseline rule for what a claim has to say, whether it’s a plaintiff’s original claim, a counterclaim, a cross-claim, or a third-party claim. It boils the requirement down to two things. First, the pleading needs a plain and concise statement of the ultimate facts that make up the claim, without unnecessary repetition — the operative facts showing why the party is entitled to relief, not a recitation of evidence and not a bare legal conclusion. Second, the pleading needs a demand for relief: what the party wants the court to award. If the claim seeks money damages, the pleading has to state the amount. A party isn’t locked into one theory of relief — the rule allows a demand for relief in the alternative, or for several different types of relief, in the same claim.