(a) Claims for relief. An original claim, counterclaim, cross-claim or third-party claim must contain a short and plain: (1) statement of the claim showing that the party is entitled to relief; and (2) demand for judgment for specified relief. Relief in the alternative or of several different types may be demanded. A party who claims damages but does not plead an amount must plead that the damages are such as to qualify for a specified tier defined by Rule 26(c)(3). A pleading that qualifies for tier 1 or tier 2 discovery constitutes a waiver of any right to recover damages above the tier limits specified in Rule 26(c)(3), unless the pleading is amended under Rule 15. A pleading requesting relief must include the following caution language at the top right of the first page, in bold print: If you do not respond to this document within applicable time limits, judgment could be entered against you as requested. Failure to include the caution language may provide the responding party with a basis under Rule 60(b) for excusable neglect to set aside any resulting judgment or order.
Rule 8.General rules of pleadings
Part III: Pleadings, Motions, and Orders · Last amended May 1, 2021 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 8 lays down the baseline drafting rules for every claim and defense in a Utah lawsuit: keep it short and plain, answer each allegation truthfully, plead damages by tier, and let the court read everything to reach substantial justice.
Full Text of Rule 8
(b) Defenses; form of denials. A party must state in simple, short and plain terms any defenses to each claim asserted and must admit or deny the statements in the claim. A party without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief about the truth of a statement must so state, and this has the effect of a denial. Denials must fairly meet the substance of the statements denied. A party may deny all of the statements in a claim by general denial. A party may specify the statement or part of a statement that is admitted and deny the rest. A party may specify the statement or part of a statement that is denied and admit the rest.
(c) Affirmative defenses. An affirmative defense must contain a short and plain: (1) statement of the affirmative defense; and (2) a demand for relief. A party must set forth affirmatively in a responsive pleading accord and satisfaction, arbitration and award, assumption of risk, comparative fault, discharge in bankruptcy, duress, estoppel, failure of consideration, fraud, illegality, injury by fellow servant, laches, license, payment, release, res judicata, statute of frauds, statute of limitations, waiver, and any other matter constituting an avoidance or affirmative defense. If a party mistakenly designates a defense as a counterclaim or a counterclaim as a defense, the court, on terms, may treat the pleadings as if the defense or counterclaim had been properly designated.
(d) Effect of failure to deny. Statements in a pleading to which a responsive pleading is required, other than statements of the amount of damage, are admitted if not denied in the responsive pleading. Statements in a pleading to which no responsive pleading is required or permitted are deemed denied or avoided.
(e) Consistency. A party may state a claim or defense alternately or hypothetically, either in one count or defense or in separate counts or defenses. If statements are made in the alternative and one of them is sufficient, the pleading is not made insufficient by the insufficiency of an alternative statement. A party may state legal and equitable claims or legal and equitable defenses regardless of consistency.
(f) Construction of pleadings. All pleadings will be construed to do substantial justice.
Amendment History
Amended effective November 1, 2011; May 1, 2016; May 1, 2021.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 8 is where Utah commits to notice pleading rather than fact-heavy, formalistic pleading. A claim for relief needs only a short and plain statement showing the party is entitled to relief, plus a demand for judgment. A party can demand alternative or even inconsistent kinds of relief in the same pleading. If a party isn't pleading a specific dollar amount of damages, the pleading has to identify which discovery tier under Rule 26(c)(3) the claim fits into — and choosing tier 1 or tier 2 comes with a real consequence: it waives any right to recover damages above that tier's ceiling unless the pleading is later amended under Rule 15. Any pleading requesting relief must also carry bold caution language warning the recipient that a default judgment could follow if they don't respond in time.
Responding to a claim works the same way in reverse. A party must admit or deny each statement in simple, short, plain terms. Not knowing whether something is true counts as a denial, as long as the party says so. A party can deny everything with a general denial, or pick apart a paragraph and admit part while denying the rest. Denials have to squarely meet the substance of what's being denied — a technical, evasive answer doesn't satisfy the rule.
Affirmative defenses get their own short-and-plain treatment, plus a specific list of defenses Utah requires a party to raise affirmatively or risk losing them: things like accord and satisfaction, statute of limitations, res judicata, waiver, and estoppel, among others. If a party mislabels a defense as a counterclaim, or the reverse, the court can treat the pleading as if it had been labeled correctly, rather than penalize the mistake.
The rule closes two important gaps. First, any statement in a pleading that calls for a response is deemed admitted if nobody denies it — except for a stated dollar amount of damages, which is never deemed admitted just because it went unchallenged. Statements that don't call for a response are automatically treated as denied. Second, the rule tells courts how to read all of this: every pleading is construed to do substantial justice, not picked apart for technical missteps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a complaint need to include under Rule 8?
A short and plain statement showing the party is entitled to relief, and a demand for the relief sought. If the pleading doesn't state a specific dollar amount of damages, it must instead identify the discovery tier the claim falls into under Rule 26(c)(3).
What happens if I plead my case under a lower damages tier?
Pleading tier 1 or tier 2 discovery waives any right to recover damages above that tier's limit, unless you later amend the pleading under Rule 15 to raise the tier or state a specific higher amount.
What counts as a valid denial?
You can admit or deny each statement, say you lack enough knowledge to admit or deny it (which acts as a denial), issue a general denial of everything, or admit part of a statement while denying the rest — as long as the denial squarely addresses the substance of what's being denied.
Do I have to plead every possible affirmative defense?
Rule 8(c) lists specific defenses — like statute of limitations, waiver, estoppel, and res judicata — that must be raised affirmatively in a responsive pleading. Leaving one out risks losing the ability to raise it later, though a court can treat a mislabeled defense or counterclaim as properly designated rather than penalize the mistake.
What happens if I don't respond to an allegation in the complaint?
If a responsive pleading was required and you didn't deny the statement, it's deemed admitted — except for a stated dollar amount of damages, which is never automatically admitted this way.
Source & verification. Rule text, Advisory Committee Notes, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure,
adopted by the Utah Supreme Court. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: utah complaint requirementshow to plead damages utahaffirmative defenses list utahgeneral denial utah civil procedurefailure to deny allegations utahdiscovery tier pleading utah