Answer to Complaint (Petition) and Counterclaim

A responsive pleading that answers allegations made in the complaint. A counterclaim sets forth the defendant’s allegations against the plaintiff, as if the defendant were asking for a divorce in the first instance. The defendant is sometimes called the "plaintiff-in-counterclaim" since he makes his initial claim in this pleading. Defendants must file an answer and counterclaim within a certain time of being served with process, usually 20 days. The plaintiff, in turn, must file an "answer to counterclaim."