IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Civil Division

[PLAINTIFF NAME],
  Plaintiff,

v.

[DEFENDANT NAME],
  Defendant.

Case No.: [CASE NUMBER]
Judge: [JUDGE NAME]

ANSWER AND GENERAL DENIAL OF DEFENDANT [DEFENDANT NAME] TO PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT

[Effective Date: //20__]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Preliminary Statement............................................................. §1
2. General Denial...................................................................... §2
3. Specific Responses to Numbered Allegations......................................... §3
4. Affirmative Defenses................................................................ §4
5. Counterclaims (Optional)............................................................ §5
6. Reservation of Additional Defenses................................................. §6
7. Prayer for Relief................................................................... §7
8. Signature Block..................................................................... §8
9. Certificate of Service............................................................. §9

§1 PRELIMINARY STATEMENT

1. Defendant [DEFENDANT NAME] (“Defendant”), through undersigned counsel and pursuant to D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 8(b)–(c), 12(a), and all other applicable rules, hereby answers the Complaint filed by Plaintiff [PLAINTIFF NAME] (“Plaintiff”) as follows.
2. All allegations not expressly admitted are denied.
[// GUIDANCE: Add a brief case overview here if strategically helpful.]

§2 GENERAL DENIAL

Pursuant to D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 8(b)(3), Defendant denies each and every allegation in the Complaint, including all causes of action and prayers for relief, except those expressly admitted herein.

§3 SPECIFIC RESPONSES TO NUMBERED ALLEGATIONS

[// GUIDANCE: Mirror the numbering of the Complaint exactly. For each paragraph, either “Admit,” “Deny,” or “Lack knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief and therefore deny.”]

1. Paragraph 1: [ADMIT / DENY / LACK KNOWLEDGE].
2. Paragraph 2: [ADMIT / DENY / LACK KNOWLEDGE].
3. Paragraph 3: [ADMIT / DENY / LACK KNOWLEDGE].
  …continue as necessary…
n. Paragraph n: [ADMIT / DENY / LACK KNOWLEDGE].

§4 AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES

Without assuming any burden of proof not otherwise imposed by law, and expressly reserving the right to amend or add defenses as discovery proceeds, Defendant asserts the following affirmative defenses pursuant to D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 8(c):

1. Failure to State a Claim.
2. Statute of Limitations.
3. Lack of Standing.
4. Waiver, Estoppel, and Laches.
5. Accord and Satisfaction.
6. Payment.
7. Unclean Hands.
8. Set-Off and Recoupment.
9. Comparative or Contributory Negligence (if tort claims alleged).
10. Failure to Mitigate Damages.
11. After-Acquired Evidence.
12. Reservation of Right to Assert Additional Defenses.
[// GUIDANCE: Delete defenses that are facially inapplicable and insert any mandatory defenses specific to the claims pled.]

§5 COUNTERCLAIMS (OPTIONAL)

[// GUIDANCE: Under D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 13(a)–(b), assert any compulsory or permissive counterclaims here. If none, state “None at this time.”]

1. [COUNTERCLAIM TITLE]
 a. Parties.
 b. Jurisdiction and Venue.
 c. Factual Allegations.
 d. Cause(s) of Action.
 e. Prayer for Counter-Relief.

§6 RESERVATION OF ADDITIONAL DEFENSES

Defendant reserves the right to assert any additional defenses that may become available or apparent during discovery, including but not limited to defenses under D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12(b).

§7 PRAYER FOR RELIEF

WHEREFORE, Defendant respectfully requests that the Court:
a. Dismiss the Complaint with prejudice;
b. Enter judgment in favor of Defendant on all claims;
c. Award Defendant its costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees as permitted by law; and
d. Grant such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.

§8 SIGNATURE BLOCK

Respectfully submitted,

[ATTORNEY NAME] (Bar No. [DC BAR #])
[LAW FIRM NAME]
[Address Line 1]
[Address Line 2]
Telephone: [###-###-####]
Email: [[email protected]]
Counsel for Defendant [DEFENDANT NAME]

Date: //20__

§9 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on this ___ day of ____, 20__, a true and correct copy of the foregoing Answer was served via [method of service, e.g., CaseFileXpress/e-service/U.S. Mail] on:

[PLAINTIFF COUNSEL NAME]
[LAW FIRM NAME]
[Address / Email]
Counsel for Plaintiff

[ATTORNEY NAME]

[// GUIDANCE:
1. Filing Deadline – D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1) generally requires an answer within 21 days after service of the summons and complaint, unless extended by stipulation or court order.
2. Verification – Only include a verification page if a statute or the pleadings so require.
3. Jury Demand – The metadata indicates no jury demand; if one is later desired, file and serve a separate jury demand within 10 days of the last pleading directed to such issue per Rule 38(b).
4. Formatting – The Superior Court prefers 12-point font, double-spacing, and one-inch margins. PAGINATE the filed PDF.
5. E-Filing – Use CaseFileXpress; include the correct document type (“Answer”) for indexing.
]