Wed, Aug. 27

1) Brief description of subject matter of course a) why does Civ Pro seem to hard? b) three main themes in course c) quick overview of a civil suit 2) Pleading: Drafting a Complaint

Pleading Period

Discovery Period

Trial

starting a lawsuit

drafting a complaint

Rule 10. Form of Pleadings Caption; Names of Parties. Every pleading must have a caption with the court’s name, a title, a file number, and a Rule 7(a) designation. The title of the complaint must name all the parties; the title of other pleadings, after naming the first party on each side, may refer generally to other parties.

-Rule 8. General Rules of Pleading (a) Claim for Relief. A pleading that states a claim for relief must contain: (1) a short and plain statement of the grounds for the court’s jurisdiction, unless the court already has jurisdiction and the claim needs no new jurisdictional support; (2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief; and (3) a demand for the relief sought, which may include relief in the alternative or different types of relief.

Rule 10(b) Paragraphs; Separate Statements. A party must state its claims or defenses in numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances. A later pleading may refer by number to a paragraph in an earlier pleading. If doing so would promote clarity, each claim founded on a separate transaction or occurrence — and each defense other than a denial — must be stated in a separate count or defense.

Three things that can be wrong with a complaint: 1) legal sufficiency of factual allegations 2) level of specificity in factual allegations 3) evidentiary support for factual allegations

1 legal sufficiency of factual allegations do they state a claim?

D had a duty of a care for P D breached the duty P suffered damages D’s breach was cause of P’s damages

- P relies upon my Civ Pro lecture after becoming a lawyer - I’m wrong - P suffers damages

P alleges that D drove 100 mph through stop sign, causing an accident resulting in damages to P Does P’s complaint fail to state a claim because he fails to mention that he already sued D about this accident and lost?

affirmative defense

burden of allegation burden of proof standard of proof

2 level of specificity in factual allegations are the factual allegations in the complaint specific enough?

-Rule 8. General Rules of Pleading (a) Claim for Relief. A pleading that states a claim for relief must contain:...(2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief...

3 evidentiary support for factual allegations

Defendant Jake Albert intentionally engaged in contact with the person of Plaintiff Michael Green that was harmful or offensive, causing damages.

On Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 10:41 p.m., Defendant Jake Albert intentionally failed to praise Plaintiff Michael Green for Plaintiff’s exemplary lecture on civil procedure, in circumstances in which praise would have been reasonable, thereby causing Plaintiff substantial psychological distress.

Over the period of June 30, 2013 to August 18, 2013 Defendant Jake Albert operated a moon base which emitted mind rays directed at Plaintiff Michael Green, allowing Defendant to read Plaintiff’s thoughts and causing Plaintiff to experience severe headaches and ringing in the ears.

Can the mind ray complaint be dismissed at the pleading stage?

Why can’t you always get to discovery then?

why have this system?

what purpose does service of a complaint on the defendant serve?

what purpose does the answer to a complaint serve?

is there a way the plaintiff could prevail simply on the basis of a complaint and answer?

what role might the complaint play in: discovery? trial?

what is a frivolous action?

can detail in a complaint be used to weed out frivolous actions?

history of pleading

1) common law pleading 2) reform through Field Code - called “fact” or “code” pleading

modern approach: notice pleading

can you be conclusory in your pleading under 8(a)?