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KENTUCKY
RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE
RULE 8 - GENERAL RULES OF PLEADING
CR
8.01 CLAIMS FOR RELIEF
(1) A pleading which sets forth a claim for relief, whether an
original claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim,
shall contain (a) a short and plain statement of the claim showing
that the pleader is entitled to relief and (b) a demand for judgment
for the relief to which he deems himself entitled. Relief in the
alternative or of several different types may be demanded.
(2) In any action for unliquidated damages the prayer for damages in
any pleading shall not recite any sum as alleged damages other than
an allegation that damages are in excess of any minimum dollar
amount necessary to establish the jurisdiction of the court;
provided, however, that all parties shall have the right to advise
the trier of fact as to what amounts are fair and reasonable as
shown by the evidence. When a claim is made against a party for
unliquidated damages, that party may obtain information as to the
amount claimed by interrogatories; if this is done, the amount
claimed shall not exceed the last amount stated in answer to
interrogatories.
[Amended by Order
86-3, eff. 1-1-87; prior amendments eff. 1-1-85, 1-1-78; adopted eff.
7-1-53]
CR
8.02 DEFENSES; FORM OF DENIALS
A party shall state in short and plain terms his defenses to each
claim asserted and shall admit or deny the averments upon which the
adverse party relies. If he is without knowledge or information
sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of an averment, he shall
so state and this has the effect of a denial. Denials shall fairly
meet the substance of the averments denied. When a pleader intends
in good faith to deny only a part or a qualification of an averment,
he shall specify so much of it as is true and material and shall
deny only the remainder. Unless the pleader intends in good faith to
controvert all the averments of the preceding pleading, he may make
his denials as specific denials of designated averments or
paragraphs, or he may generally deny all the averments except such
designated averments or paragraphs as he expressly admits; but, when
he does so intend to controvert all its averments, he may do so by
general denial subject to the obligations set forth in Rule 11.
[Adopted eff.
7-1-53]
CR
8.03 AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES
In pleading to a preceding pleading, a party shall set forth
affirmatively accord and satisfaction, arbitration and award,
assumption of risk, contributory negligence, discharge in
bankruptcy, duress, estoppel, failure of consideration, fraud,
illegality, injury by fellow servant, laches, license, payment,
release, res judicata, statute of frauds, statute of limitations,
waiver, and any other matter constituting an avoidance or
affirmative defense. When a party has mistakenly designated a
defense as a counterclaim or a counterclaim as a defense, the court
on terms, if justice so requires, shall treat the pleading as if
there had been a proper designation.
[Adopted eff.
7-1-53]
CR
8.04 EFFECT OF FAILURE TO DENY
Averments in a pleading to which no responsive pleading is required
or permitted shall be taken as denied or avoided. Averments in a
pleading to which a responsive pleading is required are admitted
when not denied in the responsive pleading, except that the
following allegations must be proved:
(a) Those against a person under any disability.
(b) Those necessary to sustain an action for divorce.
(c) Those concerning value or amount of damages which are not for a
sum certain or for a sum which may by computation be made certain.
[Amended eff.
1-1-78; prior amendment eff. 4-1-63; adopted eff. 7-1-53]
CR
8.05 PLEADING TO BE CONCISE AND DIRECT; CONSISTENCY
(1) Each averment of a pleading shall be simple, concise, and
direct. No technical forms of pleadings or motions are required.
(2) A party may set forth two or more statements of a claim or
defense alternately or hypothetically, either in one count or
defense or in separate counts or defenses. When two or more
statements are made in the alternative and one of them if made
independently would be sufficient, the pleading is not made
insufficient by the insufficiency of one or more of the alternative
statements. A party may also state as many separate claims or
defenses as he has regardless of consistency and whether based on
legal or on equitable grounds or on both. All statements shall be
made subject to the obligations set forth in Rule 11.
[Adopted eff.
7-1-53]
CR
8.06 CONSTRUCTION OF PLEADINGS
All pleadings shall be so construed as to do substantial justice.
[Adopted eff.
7-1-53]
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