§ 3.2.3 BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 8

• Jurisdiction: Arizona

§ 3.2.3 Basic Requirements of Rule 8

(1) Generally

In Arizona, a pleading setting forth a claim for relief must contain a "short and plain statement showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Rule 8(a), Ariz. R. Civ. P. The "short and plain statement" must be "simple, concise, and direct." Rule 8(e), Ariz. R. Civ. P. The purpose of Rule 8 is to avoid adherence to technicalities as a basis for determining a pleading's sufficiency, and to give the opponent fair notice of the nature and basis of the claim. Guerrero v. Copper Queen Hospital, 112 Ariz. 104, 537 P.2d 1329 (1975); see also Rowland v. Kellog Brown & Root, Inc., 210 Ariz. 530, 533, 115 P.3d 124, 127 (App. 2005) (finding that a letter to the court satisfied the requirements of Rule 8 even though no formal complaint was filed). In order to satisfy the requirements of Rule 8, a mere assertion that the plaintiff desired relief and is entitled to it is insufficient. The Plaintiff must show, through factual allegations, that she is entitled to relief. Even though not specified in Rule 8, a claimant should always include a statement of the court's jurisdiction in her complaint. See Yes on Prop 200 v. Napolitano, 215 Ariz. 458, 470, 160 P.3d 1216, 1228 (App. 2007) quoting Rowland, at 533 ("a complaint need only have 'a statement of the ground upon which the court's jurisdiction depends, a statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief and a demand for judgment.'").

(2) Statements of Fact in Support of a Claim for Relief

Fairly advising an opponent of the nature and basis of a claim does not require extensive factual recitations or evidentiary detail. Rosenberg v. Rosenberg, 123 Ariz. 589, 601 P.2d 589 (1979); Folk v. Phoenix, 27 Ariz. App. 518, 434 P.2d 520 (1967). The rejection of extensive factual recitations as a pleading requirement reinforces the Rule 8 mandate that a pleader...