Civil procedure
Amended Complaint
An amended complaint is a revised version of the complaint that replaces the original one entirely.
A plaintiff gets one amendment as of right, generally within twenty-one days of serving the complaint or of a responsive pleading or Rule 12 motion. After that it takes the other side's written consent or the court's leave, which courts are told to give freely when justice requires.
Amendment is the usual sequel to a dismissal without prejudice. Because the amended version supersedes the original, it must stand on its own; claims left out of it are abandoned even if they appeared in the first filing.
For research, always read the operative complaint rather than the first one. A case that has been amended twice will have three complaints on the docket, and only the latest one describes the claims that are actually being litigated.
How it appears on a docket
FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT against Acme Logistics, Inc. filed by Maria Rodriguez, adding a claim for retaliation. Response due 1/12/2026.
Governing rule
Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)
Related terms
- Complaint — A complaint is the document that starts a civil lawsuit, naming the parties, telling the court why it has jurisdiction, and laying out the claims.
- Rule 12(b)(6) — Rule 12(b)(6) is the provision that lets a defendant seek dismissal for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.
More on civil procedure
See this term in a real case
Search federal court records and read the filings where amended complaint actually shows up. New to federal dockets? Start with how to find a federal case.