What is the pleading stage of civil procedure?

The pleading stage of civil procedure is part of the pre-trial process in a civil case in Florida. This stage begins when one party, called the plaintiff, files a complaint in the appropriate court. The complaint must include all of the plaintiff’s legal claims and the facts that support those claims. The court will then serve the complaint to the defendant, or the opposing party. The defendant has 20 days to respond to the complaint with a written answer. In the answer, the defendant may admit or deny each of the plaintiff’s claims. Additionally, the defendant may also make a counterclaim, which is a claim that the defendant brings against the plaintiff. The defendant may even include additional defendants to the case by filing what is called a third party complaint. The plaintiff then has 20 days to answer the defendant’s counterclaims. This exchange of pleadings is aimed at establishing the matters in dispute between the parties and narrowing down each side’s case. The pleadings exchanged during this phase are kept on file and form the basis for any motions that either party may decide to file at a later stage. The pleading stage concludes when both sides have had an opportunity to file all of their required documents.

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What is the pleading stage of civil procedure?

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