What must a party include in its responsive pleading regarding defenses and denials?

• A. Short, plain terms defenses and denials
• B. A verbatim copy of the plaintiff's allegations
• C. A list of prior lawsuits
• D. An affidavit of merit

Answer: (A)

In a responsive pleading, the party must address each of the plaintiff’s allegations with admissions or denials stated in clear, plain terms, and it must set out defenses in a concise way. This keeps the issues honest and easy to understand for the court and the opposing party, showing exactly what is admitted, what is denied, and what defenses will be asserted. Copying the plaintiff’s allegations verbatim isn’t required and isn’t how the response is structured. A list of prior lawsuits is not part of an answer to a complaint, and an affidavit of merit isn’t normally part of the responsive pleading (it may be required in specific types of claims, such as certain professional malpractice cases, but not as a general rule of the answer).