Rule 11
E85785
Rule 11 is a key provision of the U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that governs the signing of pleadings and motions, requiring attorneys and parties to certify that their filings are legally and factually grounded and not submitted for improper purposes, with sanctions available for violations.
Aliases (4)
- Rule 11(b) ×7
- Rule 11(c) ×7
- Rule 11(d) ×4
- Rule 11(a) ×3
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
procedural rule
→
provision of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure → |
| aimsTo |
deter frivolous filings
→
deter repetition of conduct or comparable conduct by others → promote candor toward the court → reduce abusive litigation practices → |
| allows |
monetary penalties paid into court
→
nonmonetary directives as sanctions → payment of opponent’s reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses resulting from the violation → withdrawal or correction of challenged paper within safe harbor period to avoid sanctions → |
| appliesTo |
attorneys
→
unrepresented parties → |
| authorizes |
court-initiated sanctions
→
party-initiated sanctions motions → |
| bindingOn |
federal district courts
→
litigants in federal civil cases → |
| contains |
Rule 11(a)
→
Rule 11(b) → Rule 11(c) → Rule 11(d) → |
| excludes |
disclosures and discovery requests
→
discovery motions → discovery objections → discovery responses → |
| governs |
sanctions procedures
→
signature requirements → signing of other papers filed with the court → signing of pleadings → signing of written motions → |
| includes |
safe harbor provision for party-initiated sanctions motions
→
|
| jurisdiction |
United States federal courts
NERFINISHED
→
|
| legalSystem |
United States federal civil litigation
→
civil procedure → |
| partOf |
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
→
|
| prohibits |
filings presented for improper purpose such as harassment or unnecessary delay
→
filings presented to needlessly increase the cost of litigation → |
| providesFor |
sanctions for violations
→
striking unsigned papers unless promptly corrected → |
| requires |
certification that denials of factual contentions are warranted on the evidence or reasonably based on belief or lack of information
→
certification that factual contentions have evidentiary support or will likely have support after discovery → certification that filings are not presented for improper purpose → certification that legal contentions are warranted by existing law or nonfrivolous argument for law change → denials of factual contentions to be warranted on the evidence or reasonably based on belief or lack of information → every pleading, written motion, and other paper be signed by at least one attorney of record or by a party personally if unrepresented → factual contentions to have evidentiary support or likely support after discovery → inquiry reasonable under the circumstances before filing → legal contentions to be warranted by existing law or nonfrivolous arguments for extension, modification, or reversal of law → service of sanctions motion on opposing party before filing with the court → |
| safeHarborPeriod |
21 days
→
|
| setsOut |
representations to the court
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
United States Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
→
|
containsPart |