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28	28	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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30	30	1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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32	32	HOUSE BILL 1596 By: Lepak
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35	35
36	36	AS INTRODUCED
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38	38	An Act relating to civil procedure; amending 12 O.S.
39	39	2021, Sections 2008 and 2009, which relate to general
40	40	rules and special matters; modify ing requirements for
41	41	certain claims and averments; defining term;
42	42	conforming language; making language gender neutral;
43	43	and providing an effective date .
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48	48	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
49	49	SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 12 O.S. 2021, Section 2008, is
50	50	amended to read as follows:
51	51	Section 2008.
52	52	GENERAL RULES OF PLEADING
53	53	A. CLAIMS FOR RELIEF. A pleading which sets forth a claim for
54	54	relief, whether an original claim, counterclaim, cross -claim or
55	55	third-party claim, shall contain:
56	56	1. A short and plain statement , made with particularity of all
57	57	material facts known to the pleading party that support the claim
58	58	showing, that creates a reasonable inference that the pleader is
59	59	plausibly entitled to relief. For the purposes of this paragraph, a
60	60	material fact is a fact that is necessary to the claim a nd without
61	61	which the claim could not be supported. As to facts pleaded on
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88	88	belief, the pleading party shall set forth with particularity the
89	89	factual information supporting the pl eading party's belief; and
90	90	2. A demand for judgment for the relief to which he or she
91	91	deems himself or herself entitled. Every pleading demanding relief
92	92	for damages in money in excess of the amount required for diversity
93	93	jurisdiction pursuant to Section 1332 of Title 28 of the United
94	94	States Code shall, without demanding any specif ic amount of money,
95	95	set forth only that the amount sought as damages is in excess of the
96	96	amount required for diversity jurisdiction pursuant to Section 1332
97	97	of Title 28 of the Un ited States Code, except in actions sounding in
98	98	contract. Every pleading demanding relief for damages in money in
99	99	an amount that is required for diversity jurisdiction pursuant to
100	100	Section 1332 of Title 28 of the United States Code or less shall
101	101	specify the amount of such damages sought to be recovered. Relief
102	102	in the alternative or of several different types may be demanded.
103	103	B. DEFENSES; FORM OF DENIALS. A party shall state in short and
104	104	plain terms his or her defenses to each claim asserted and shall
105	105	admit or deny the averments upon which the adverse party relies. If
106	106	he or she is without knowledge or information sufficient to form a
107	107	belief as to the truth of an averment, he or she shall so state and
108	108	this statement has the effect of a denial. Denials sha ll fairly
109	109	meet the substance of the averments denied. When a pleader intends
110	110	in good faith to deny only a part or a qualification of an averment,
111	111	he or she shall specify so much of it as is true and material and
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138	138	shall deny only the remainder. Unless the pleader intends in good
139	139	faith to controvert all the averments of the preceding pleading, he
140	140	or she may make his or her denials as specific denials of designated
141	141	averments or paragraphs or he or she may generally deny all the
142	142	averments except such designate d averments or paragraphs as he or
143	143	she expressly admits; but, when he or she does so intend to
144	144	controvert all its averments, he or she may do so by general denial
145	145	subject to the obligations set forth in Section 2011 of this title.
146	146	C. AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES. In pleading to a preceding pleading,
147	147	a party shall set forth affirmatively:
148	148	1. Accord and satisfaction;
149	149	2. Arbitration and award;
150	150	3. Assumption of risk;
151	151	4. Contributory negligence;
152	152	5. Discharge in bankruptcy;
153	153	6. Duress;
154	154	7. Estoppel;
155	155	8. Failure of consideration;
156	156	9. Fraud;
157	157	10. Illegality;
158	158	11. Injury by fellow servant;
159	159	12. Laches;
160	160	13. License;
161	161	14. Payment;
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188	188	15. Release;
189	189	16. Res judicata;
190	190	17. Statute of frauds;
191	191	18. Statute of limitations;
192	192	19. Waiver; and
193	193	20. Any other matter constituting an avoidance or affirmative
194	194	defense.
195	195	When a party has mistakenly designated a defense as a
196	196	counterclaim or a counterclaim as a defense, the court on terms, if
197	197	justice so requires, shall treat the pleading as if there had been a
198	198	proper designation.
199	199	D. EFFECT OF FAILURE TO DENY. Averments in a pleading to which
200	200	a responsive pleading i s required, other than those as to the amount
201	201	of damage, are admitted when not denied in the responsive pleading.
202	202	Averments in a pleading to which no responsive pleading is requ ired
203	203	or permitted shall be taken as denied or avoided.
204	204	E. PLEADING TO BE CONCISE AND DIRECT; CONSISTENCY ALTERNATIVE
205	205	STATEMENTS; INCONSISTENCY .
206	206	1. Each averment of a pleading shall be simple, concise, and
207	207	direct. No technical forms of pleadings or motio ns are required.
208	208	2. A party may set forth, and at trial rely on, two or more
209	209	statements of a claim or defense alternately or hypothetically,
210	210	either in one count or defense or in separate counts or defenses.
211	211	When two or more statements are made in the alt ernative and one of
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238	238	them if made independently would be sufficient, the pleading is not
239	239	made insufficient by the insufficiency of one or more of the
240	240	alternative statements. A party may also state as many separate
241	241	claims or defenses as he or she has regardless of consistency and
242	242	whether based on legal or equitable grounds. All stat ements shall
243	243	be made subject to the obligations set forth in Section 2011 of this
244	244	title.
245	245	F. CONSTRUCTION OF PLEADINGS. All pleadings shall be so
246	246	construed as to do substantial justice.
247	247	SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 12 O.S. 2021, Section 2009, is
248	248	amended to read as follows:
249	249	Section 2009.
250	250	PLEADING SPECIAL MATTERS
251	251	A. CAPACITY. It is not necessary to aver the capacity of a
252	252	party to sue or be sued or the authority of a party to sue or be
253	253	sued in a representative capacity or the legal existe nce of an
254	254	organized association of persons that is made a party. When a party
255	255	desires to raise an issue as to the legal existence of any party or
256	256	the capacity of any party to su e or be sued or the authority of a
257	257	party to sue or be sued in a representative capacity, he or she
258	258	shall do so by negative averment, which shall include such
259	259	supporting particulars as are peculiarly within the pleader 's
260	260	knowledge, and he or she shall have the burden of proof on that
261	261	issue.
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288	288	B. FRAUD, MISTAKE, CONDITION OF THE MIND. In accordance with
289	289	paragraph 1 of subsection A of Section 2008 of this title, in all
290	290	averments of fraud or mistake, the circumstances constituting fraud
291	291	or mistake shall be stat ed with particularity. Malice, intent,
292	292	knowledge, and other condition of mind of a person may be averred
293	293	generally.
294	294	C. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT. In pleading the performance or
295	295	occurrence of conditions precedent, if the pleading otherwise
296	296	satisfies the requirements of paragraph 1 of subsection A of Section
297	297	2008 of this title, it is sufficient to aver generally that all
298	298	conditions precedent have been performed or have occurred. A denial
299	299	of performance or occurrence shall be made specifically and with
300	300	particularity.
301	301	D. OFFICIAL DOCUMENT OR ACT. In pleading an official document
302	302	or official act it is sufficient to aver that the document was
303	303	issued or the act done in compliance with law.
304	304	E. JUDGMENT. In pleading a judgment or decision of a domestic
305	305	or foreign court, judicial or quasi -judicial tribunal, or of a board
306	306	or officer, it is su fficient to aver the judgment or decision
307	307	without setting forth matter showing jurisdiction to render it.
308	308	F. TIME AND PLACE. For the purpose of testing the sufficiency
309	309	of a pleading, averments of time and place are material and shall be
310	310	considered like all other averments of material matter.
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337	337	G. SPECIAL DAMAGE. When items of special damage are claimed,
338	338	their nature shall be specifically stated. In actions where
339	339	exemplary or punitive damages are sought, the petition shall not
340	340	state a dollar amount for da mages sought to be recovered but shall
341	341	state whether the amount of damages sought to be recovered is in
342	342	excess of or not in excess of the amount required for diversity
343	343	jurisdiction pursuant to Section 1332 of Title 28 of the United
344	344	States Code.
345	345	H. MOTION TO CLARIFY DAMAGES. If the amount of damages sought
346	346	to be recovered by the plaintiff is less than the amount required
347	347	for diversity jurisdiction pursuant to Section 1332 of Titl e 28 of
348	348	the United States Code, the defendant may file, for purposes of
349	349	establishing diversity jurisdiction only, a Motion to Clarify
350	350	Damages prior to the pretrial order to require the plaintiff to show
351	351	by a preponderance of the evidence that the amount of damages, if
352	352	awarded, will not exceed the amount required for diversity. If the
353	353	court finds that any damages awarded are more likely than not to
354	354	exceed the amount of damages required for diversity jurisdiction,
355	355	the plaintiff shall amend his or her pleadin gs in conformance with
356	356	paragraph 2 of subsection A of Section 2008 of this tit le.
357	357	SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
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359	359	60-1-10587 AQH 12/29/24

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB1596 Compare Versions