Pleadings and Motions
Pleadings
A general denial responds to an entire pleading at once. Rule 8(b)(3) permits it only where the party intends in good faith to deny all allegations including jurisdictional grounds.
Most jurisdictions require paragraph-by-paragraph responses.
Alternative Names:
Blanket Denial, General Traverse
Why it Matters?
The good faith limitation makes general denials rarely appropriate in federal practice, since a defendant almost always admits something such as its own corporate existence or the occurrence of an incident. Filing one where allegations are admittedly true risks the denials being treated as ineffective, which deems the allegations admitted. Some state systems permit general denials more freely, which is a practice difference worth confirming.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
When is a general denial permitted federally?
What is the risk?
