A pleading is a written statement containing the respective claims and defenses of the parties, submitted to the court for appropriate judgment. Its purpose is to submit a claim or defense for appropriate judgment. Pleadings are necessary to invoke the court's jurisdiction and present the issues to be tried.

Pleadings allowed by the Rules of Court include:

• Complaint, which alleges the plaintiff's cause(s) of action.
• Answer, which sets forth a defending party's defenses.
• Counterclaim.
• Cross-claim.
• Third (fourth, etc.)-party complaint.
• Complaint-in-intervention.
• Reply, which may be filed only if the defending party attaches an actionable document to the answer.

Pleadings are written statements; they cannot be oral. The nature of a pleading is determined by its averments, not its title. Pleadings are liberally construed to achieve substantial justice.