DEFENDANT’S ORIGINAL ANSWER

(General Denial – Texas State Court)

[// GUIDANCE: This template is designed for use in any Texas District Court or County Court at Law. Remove guidance notes, complete all bracketed placeholders, and conform margins/font to the local rules of the specific court before filing.]

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// I. DOCUMENT HEADER
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Cause No. [__]

[PLAINTIFF’S FULL LEGAL NAME],
Plaintiff,

v.

[DEFENDANT’S FULL LEGAL NAME],
Defendant.

In the [th] Judicial District Court
of [_] County, Texas
[OR]
In the County Court at Law No. []
of [_] County, Texas

DEFENDANT [DEFENDANT NAME]’S ORIGINAL ANSWER

COMES NOW [Defendant’s full legal name] (“Defendant”), and files this Original Answer to the petition/complaint of [Plaintiff’s full legal name] (“Plaintiff”), and in support respectfully shows the Court as follows:

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// II. GENERAL DENIAL
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1. Pursuant to Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 92, Defendant enters a general denial of each and every, all and singular, the allegations contained in Plaintiff’s petition, and demands strict proof thereof by a preponderance of the evidence as required by the laws of the State of Texas.

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// III. AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES
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2. Without waiving the foregoing general denial, and in the alternative if such be necessary, Defendant affirmatively pleads the defenses set forth below as authorized by Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 94. Defendant expressly reserves the right to amend these defenses as discovery proceeds.

a. Statute of Limitations – Plaintiff’s claims are barred in whole or in part by the applicable statute(s) of limitations.
b. Statute of Frauds – Enforcement of the alleged agreement is barred by Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 26.01.
c. Failure of Consideration – Any alleged agreement is void for lack and/or failure of consideration.
d. Accord and Satisfaction – The matters complained of have been discharged.
e. Waiver and Estoppel – Plaintiff has waived, or is estopped to assert, the alleged claims.
f. Laches – Plaintiff unreasonably delayed, causing prejudice to Defendant.
g. Comparative or Proportionate Responsibility – Liability, if any, must be reduced in accordance with Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ch. 33.
h. Failure to Mitigate – Plaintiff failed to take reasonable steps to mitigate damages.
i. [ADD ANY ADDITIONAL AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES RELEVANT TO FACTS]

[// GUIDANCE: Plead every affirmative defense that may conceivably apply. Omitting a defense can constitute waiver under TRCP 94.]

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// IV. COUNTERCLAIMS AND/OR OFFSETS
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3. Defendant asserts the following counterclaim(s) pursuant to Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 97, subject to all just exceptions:

A. [Title of Counterclaim – e.g., Breach of Contract]
1. Jurisdiction, venue, and parties.
2. Facts giving rise to the counterclaim.
3. Damages sought (include prayer for attorney’s fees if applicable).

4. In the alternative, Defendant pleads the right to offset against any recovery by Plaintiff in an amount equal to the damages caused by Plaintiff’s conduct.

[// GUIDANCE: Delete Section IV if no counterclaims or offsets will be asserted.]

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// V. PRAYER
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WHEREFORE, PREMISES CONSIDERED, Defendant prays that Plaintiff take nothing by reason of its suit, that Defendant be discharged with its costs, and that Defendant recover such other and further relief, at law or in equity, to which Defendant may show itself justly entitled.

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// VI. VERIFICATION / UNSWORN DECLARATION (OPTIONAL)
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[// GUIDANCE: Verification is not generally required for an answer in Texas unless specifically mandated (e.g., sworn account, denial of partnership, etc.). Use the following unsworn declaration only if a verification is necessary under TRCP 93 or other rule.]

UNSWORN DECLARATION

My name is [____]. My date of birth is [__], and my address is [______]. I am the [title/position] of Defendant. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed in _ County, Texas, on the ___ day of _ 20___.

---

[Declarant Name]

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// VII. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
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I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the foregoing document was served on all counsel of record in accordance with Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21a on this ___ day of ____ 20__.

[Attorney Name]
Counsel for Defendant

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// VIII. SIGNATURE BLOCK & ATTORNEY INFORMATION
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Respectfully submitted,

[LAW FIRM NAME]
[Street Address]
[City, State ZIP]
Telephone: [--_]
Facsimile: [--]
Email: [_]

By: ____
 [Attorney Name]
 State Bar No. [______]
 ATTORNEY FOR DEFENDANT

PRACTICAL CHECKLIST

[// GUIDANCE: Use this quick-reference list before filing]

1. Confirm service date; answer is due “by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next after the expiration of twenty (20) days” following service (Tex. R. Civ. P. 99(b)).
2. Verify correct court style, cause number, and party names match the petition.
3. Plead all fact-dependent verified denials under Tex. R. Civ. P. 93 where applicable (e.g., capacity, consideration, sworn account).
4. Include jury demand and fee if desired (Tex. R. Civ. P. 216) — not included here per metadata but may be added.
5. File the answer electronically per Tex. R. Civ. P. 21(f) and local rules; obtain file-marked copy.
6. Serve all parties contemporaneously via an approved method under Tex. R. Civ. P. 21a.

[// GUIDANCE: Failure to raise mandatory affirmative defenses, counterclaims arising out of the same transaction or occurrence, or verified denials can constitute waiver. Amendments are allowed without leave up to 7 days prior to trial (Tex. R. Civ. P. 63) but early pleading is recommended to avoid objections.]

KEY TEXAS RULE REFERENCES

• General Denial – Tex. R. Civ. P. 92
• Affirmative Defenses – Tex. R. Civ. P. 94
• Counterclaims – Tex. R. Civ. P. 97
• Answer Deadline – Tex. R. Civ. P. 99(b)
• Service & Filing – Tex. R. Civ. P. 21, 21a, 21(f)
• Verified Pleas – Tex. R. Civ. P. 93

[// GUIDANCE: The above citations are well-established Texas procedural rules and satisfy the controlling citation policy.]