Last amended December 1, 2007 · Last verified June 30, 2026
In one sentenceRule 10 sets the form of pleadings: each must carry a caption naming the court, the parties, and the document; claims and defenses must appear in numbered paragraphs limited to a single set of circumstances; and earlier statements and exhibits may be adopted by reference.
(a)Caption; Names of Parties. Every pleading must have a caption with the court's name, a title, a file number, and a Rule 7(a) designation. The title of the complaint must name all the parties; the title of other pleadings, after naming the first party on each side, may refer generally to other parties.
(b)Paragraphs; Separate Statements. A party must state its claims or defenses in numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances. A later pleading may refer by number to a paragraph in an earlier pleading. If doing so would promote clarity, each claim founded on a separate transaction or occurrence—and each defense other than a denial—must be stated in a separate count or defense.
(c)Adoption by Reference; Exhibits. A statement in a pleading may be adopted by reference elsewhere in the same pleading or in any other pleading or motion. A copy of a written instrument that is an exhibit to a pleading is a part of the pleading for all purposes.
End
Amendment History
(Amended April 30, 2007, effective December 1, 2007.)
Plain-English Summary
Rule 10 governs how a pleading looks on the page. Every pleading must have a caption with the court’s name, a title, a file number, and the names of the parties — the complaint must name all parties, while later pleadings may name the first party on each side. The point is a document that is easy to identify and docket.
The body must be organized into numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances, so that allegations can be admitted or denied one by one. Separate claims or defenses founded on different transactions are stated in separate counts or defenses. A party may adopt an earlier statement by reference, and a written instrument attached as an exhibit becomes part of the pleading.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a pleading’s caption include?
Under Rule 10(a), the court’s name, a title, a file number, and the parties — the complaint names all parties; later pleadings may name only the first party on each side.
Must federal pleadings use numbered paragraphs?
Yes. Rule 10(b) requires claims and defenses to be stated in numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances.
Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the
official Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Fed. R. Civ. P. 10), a public-domain work of the U.S. Government.
Prescribed by the United States Supreme Court under the Rules Enabling Act. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified June 30, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as:FRCP 10Fed. R. Civ. P. 10form of pleadingscaptionnumbered paragraphsexhibits to a complaint