This form may be used to answer a civil complaint. Affirmative defenses may be asserted, along with a counterclaim. An affirmative defense is a type of defense in which the defendant seeks to avoid liability by introducing new evidence not addresses in the claims of the plaintiff's complaint. A counterclaim is made by the defendant to a civil proceeding, in a main action against the plaintiff or against the plaintiff and other people. This claim may be an attempt to offset or reduce the amount/implications of the plaintiff's original claim against the defendant, or it may be a different claim.
Counterclaims are either compulsory or permissive. If the counterclaim is permissive, it may be brought, but no rights are waived if it is not. If the counterclaim is mandatory, it must be brought in the current action or it is waived. Under the United States Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a counterclaim is compulsory if it involves only the parties currently part of the suit, and is from the same transaction that the original suit is based on. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 13(a).
Massachusetts General Form of Civil Answer with Affirmative Defenses and Counterclaim
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FAQ
An affirmative defense is a defense that brings up new facts or issues not in the Complaint that, if true, would be a legal reason why the plaintiff should not win, or should win less than they're asking for. It is not a denial that you did what the plaintiff says you did.
Affirmative defense?Examples On [Date], after making the contract and the alleged breach, and before this action was commenced, defendant paid to the plaintiff the sum of [specify amount], which was accepted by the plaintiff in full satisfaction and discharge of the damages claimed in the petition.
Self-defense, entrapment, insanity, necessity, and respondeat superior are some examples of affirmative defenses. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 56, any party may make a motion for summary judgment on an affirmative defense.
In conclusion, the main difference between a counterclaim and an affirmative defense is that a counterclaim is a claim made by a defendant against the plaintiff. In contrast, an affirmative defense is a defense raised by the defendant in response to the plaintiff's claim.
So, unlike a negative defense, an ?affirmative defense is one that admits the allegations in the complaint, but seeks to avoid liability, in whole or in part, by new allegations of excuse, justification, or other negating matter.?
Rule 12(f) indicates explicitly that although the court may, sua sponte, clean up the pleadings (literally and figuratively) at any time, it may strike an insufficient defense only if the plaintiff takes the initiative.
Example 1: Claim: Some people say that cell phones should be banned from schools, because they distract from learning. Counterclaim: Others say that students should be allowed to carry cell phones for emergency purposes. Rebuttal: There are plenty of other, less-disruptive ways for parents and students to communicate.
The counterclaim is made to offset the liability against the claim of the claimant or an independent claim of a person with related interests or obligations.