State Court Counterclaim & Cross-Complaint - District of Columbia
DEFENDANT'S ANSWER, COUNTERCLAIM, AND CROSSCLAIM
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — CIVIL DIVISION
| Party | Role |
|---|---|
| [PLAINTIFF NAME] | Plaintiff / Counterclaim Defendant |
| v. | |
| [DEFENDANT NAME] | Defendant / Counterclaimant / Crossclaimant |
| [COPARTY NAME, IF ANY] | Coparty / Crossclaim Defendant |
Case No.: [____________________] Judge: [____________________]
ANSWER TO COMPLAINT
Defendant [NAME] responds to the numbered paragraphs of the complaint as
follows. A denial must fairly respond to the substance of each allegation.
| Complaint paragraph | Admit, deny, or state insufficient knowledge | Explanation or admitted part, if needed |
|---|---|---|
| [____] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
| [____] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
| [____] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
Affirmative defenses, if applicable, with supporting facts:
- [____________________________________________________________]
- [____________________________________________________________]
COUNTERCLAIM AGAINST [PLAINTIFF NAME]
Counterclaimant [NAME] asserts the following claim against the opposing party
under Rule 13. The claim is ☐ compulsory under Rule 13(a) because it arises
from the transaction or occurrence underlying the complaint and satisfies the
rule's other conditions; or ☐ permissive under Rule 13(b) and within this
court's jurisdiction.
Grounds for jurisdiction, if new support is required: [_______________]
Count One — [CAUSE OF ACTION]
- Parties and their relationship: [________________________________]
- Material events, dates, and conduct: [____________________________]
- Each legal element and the facts supporting it: [_________________]
- Harm and requested remedy: [________________________________]
Count Two — [CAUSE OF ACTION, IF ANY]
- Material facts: [________________________________]
- Legal elements and supporting facts: [_________________________]
- Requested remedy: [________________________________]
CROSSCLAIM AGAINST [COPARTY NAME, IF ANY]
Crossclaimant [NAME] asserts a claim against coparty [NAME] under Rule 13(g).
The claim arises from the transaction or occurrence underlying the original
action or a counterclaim, or concerns property at issue in the original action,
as follows: [________________________________________________________].
Grounds for jurisdiction, if new support is required: [_______________]
Count One — [CAUSE OF ACTION]
- Material events, dates, and conduct: [___________________________]
- Each legal element and supporting facts: [______________________]
- Harm and requested remedy: [________________________________]
PRAYER FOR RELIEF
Defendant asks for judgment:
- On the complaint: [________________________________]
- On the counterclaim against [NAME]: [___________________________]
- On the crossclaim against [NAME], if any: [______________________]
- For other relief supported by the pleaded claims: [______________]
JURY DEMAND, IF APPLICABLE
Defendant demands a jury trial on all issues triable of right by jury in this
pleading under Rule 38(b). ☐ Include this demand ☐ Delete this section.
SIGNATURE
Date: [__/__/____] Signature: [________________________________]
Attorney: [________________________________] D.C. Bar No.: [____________]
Address: [________________________________]
Telephone: [________________________________] Email: [________________________________]
Counsel for: [________________________________]
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify as a member of the Bar of this court that on [__/__/____] I served
this answer, counterclaim, and crossclaim on the persons below. Rule 5-I(b)
does not require separate proof for service through the court's electronic
filing system.
| Person served | Address or registered user | Method | Date and manner |
|---|---|---|---|
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
Delivery to assigned judge: ☐ Delivered [date and manner: ____________________] ☐ Not required for this filing
Signature: [________________________________] D.C. Bar No.: [____________________]
FILING NOTE
Rule 12(a)(1)(A) generally gives a defendant 21 days after service of the
summons and complaint to serve an answer; Rule 12(a)(1)(B) generally gives
21 days after service of a counterclaim or crossclaim to answer it. Check any
applicable exception or court order. Rule 38(b) requires a written jury demand
to be served no later than 14 days after the last pleading directed to the
issue and filed under Rule 5(d).
SOURCES AND REFERENCES
- D.C. Superior Court Civil Rules 5, 5-I, 8, 12, 13, and 38: https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-resources/rules-of-the-superior-court
About this template
- Last updated
- October 11, 2026
- Citations checked
- October 11, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- District of Columbia
- Category
- Litigation & Court Documents
Legal authority
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 13(a)-(c), (g) (Counterclaims and Crossclaims)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 8(a)-(b) (Claims and Answers)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12(a) (Responsive Pleading Time)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 38(b)-(d) (Jury Demand, if applicable)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 5 (Service)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 5-I (Proof of Service)
These are the filings that drive a lawsuit through the system: complaints, answers, motions, briefs, discovery requests and responses, and post-judgment papers. Each has its own format requirements under federal and state procedural rules, and each has a deadline that cannot be missed without consequences. Clean, procedurally correct filings move a case forward; sloppy ones invite motions to strike, amended responses, and avoidable delays.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on October 11, 2026.
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 13(a)(1) (checked October 11, 2026): "A pleading must state as a counterclaim any claim that—at the time of its service—the pleader has against an opposing party if the claim:"
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 13(a)(1)(A) (checked October 11, 2026): "arises out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the opposing party's claim; and"
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 13(b) (checked October 11, 2026): "A pleading may state as a counterclaim against an opposing party any claim that is not compulsory if such counterclaim is within the jurisdiction of the court."
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 13(c) (checked October 11, 2026): "A counterclaim need not diminish or defeat the recovery sought by the opposing party. It may request relief that exceeds in amount or differs in kind from the relief sought by the opposing party."
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