Which of the following are pleadings under the rules?

• A. Complaint and answer
• B. Reply to counterclaim
• C. All of the above
• D. Third-party complaint

Answer: (C)

Pleadings are the formal written statements that set out a party’s claims and defenses to initiate and frame a civil action. Under the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, these include the basic complaint and the defendant’s answer, which together start and respond to the case. They also include a reply to a counterclaim, which is the plaintiff’s response to the defendant’s counterclaims, addressing those specific allegations. A third-party complaint falls under pleadings as well, because it documents a claim brought by a party against someone not originally named in the suit, typically claiming that the third party is liable to the defendant for all or part of the plaintiff’s claim. Since each listed document serves as a formal pleading, the correct choice is that all of the above are pleadings.