Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Rule 12(f) Motions to Strike and 12(e) Motions for a More Definite Statement — Standards

From Kauinui v. Citibank (South Dakota), N.A., 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 100765 (D. Hawaii Oct. 28, 2009):

Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(f), the Court may strike "from any pleading any insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter." Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(f). This includes striking parts of the prayer for relief when the relief sought is "not recoverable as a matter of law." Schabaz v. Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., 586 F. Supp. 2d 1205, 1209 (C.D. Cal. 2008) (citations omitted). When ruling on a motion to strike, the Court takes the plaintiff's allegations as true and must liberally construe the complaint in a light most favorable to the plaintiff. See Jenkins v. McKeithen, 395 U.S. 411, 421 (1969); see also Argabright v. United States, 35 F.3d 472, 474 (9th Cir. 1994). Motions to strike are disfavored as a "[m]atter will not be stricken from a pleading unless it is clear that it can have no possible bearing upon the subject matter of the litigation." Wailua Assocs. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., 27 F. Supp. 2d 1211, 1216 (D. Haw. 1998) (citations omitted). ***

Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(e) provides as follows:

If a pleading to which a responsive pleading is permitted is so vague or ambiguous that a party cannot reasonably be required to frame a responsive pleading, the party may move for a more definite statement before interposing a responsive pleading.

Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(e). Thus, if a plaintiff's complaint meets the notice requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8 and the defendant is provided with a sufficient basis to respond, the proper avenue for eliciting additional detail is not through a motion for a more definite statement, but instead through discovery. Wangler v. Hawaiian Electric Co., Inc., 742 F. Supp. 1458, 1464 (D. Haw. 1990). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8 requires a "short and plain statement of the claim" that will give the defendant fair notice of what the plaintiff's claim is and the ground upon which it rests. Datagate, Inc. v. Hewlett-Packard Co., 941 F.2d 864, 870 (9th Cir. 1991).

Share this article:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Recent Posts

(1) Appellate Review of Inherent Power Sanctions (7th Circuit): Factual Findings Reviewed for Clear Error, Choice of Sanction for Abuse of Discretion — 4-Element Test for Reversal; (2) Sanctions and Class Actions: Monetary Sanctions Properly Imposed on Defendants for Improper Communications with Class Members (Represented Parties) — “[I]f The Class And The Class Opponent Are Involved In An Ongoing Business Relationship, Communications From The Class Opponent To The Class May Be Coercive” (Good Quote); (3) Monetary Sanctions under Goodyear v. Haeger: If Same Fact-Gathering Would Have Been Conducted Absent The Misconduct, No But-For Causation — But Only “Rough Justice” Required, “Not Accountant-Like Precision” (Good Quote) — Once Misconduct Is Clear, Time Spent Ferreting It Out Compensable under Goodyear; (4) Goodyear Did Not Overrule Long-Standing Rule That Courts May Impose Modest Civil Monetary Sanctions to Curb Litigation Abuse; (5) Appellate Jurisdiction Lacking Where Sanctioned Attorney Fails to File Notice of Appeal and Lawyer’s Intent to Appeal Not Apparent from Client’s Notice; (5) Rule 11 Improper Purpose — Party May Have Many Purposes for Pursuing Claim — As Long As Claim Is Supported by Good Faith Belief in the Merits, “A Parallel Reason Does Not Violate Rule 11” — To Deny A Motion for Sanctions, The District Court Need Not Address Every Argument: “Arguments Clearly Without Merit Can, And For The Sake Of Judicial Economy Should, Be Passed Over In Silence” (Good Quote); Non-Monetary Sanction on Counsel: Complete Twice The Required Amount Of Professional Responsibility Hours For Her Next Continuing Legal Education Cycle Imposed By The State Bar

Archives