Civil procedure
Answer
An answer is the defendant's written response to a complaint, admitting or denying each allegation and raising any defenses.
It is normally due 21 days after service, or 60 days if the defendant waived formal service. Each numbered paragraph of the complaint gets a matching response: admitted, denied, or a statement that the defendant lacks enough knowledge to answer, which the rules treat as a denial.
The affirmative defenses at the end matter as much as the denials. Defenses like the statute of limitations, release, or failure to mitigate are generally waived if they are not pleaded here, so answers list them generously.
Reading an answer next to the complaint is the cheapest way to find the real dispute. Paragraphs that are admitted are settled facts; the small number that are denied point directly at what discovery and trial will be about.
How it appears on a docket
ANSWER to 1 Complaint with JURY DEMAND and affirmative defenses, filed by Acme Logistics, Inc.
Governing rule
Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(b), 12(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.
- Counterclaim — A counterclaim is a claim the defendant files back against the plaintiff in the same lawsuit.
More on civil procedure
See this term in a real case
Search federal court records and read the filings where answer actually shows up. New to federal dockets? Start with how to find a federal case.