2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THIRTY-TWO Appendix (§§ 1 — 39.4) › Appendix III - Rules of Civil Procedure for the General Court of Justice, 1979 (§§ 39.2 — 39.4) › PART V - PRETRIAL PROCEEDINGS › Rule 33 - Requests for Admission › Rule 33 - Requests for Admission

(a) Requests for admission. — For purposes of the pending action only, a party may serve upon any other party a written request for the admission of the truth of any matters within the scope of Rule 23.1 set forth in the request that relate to statements or opinions of facts or of the application of law to fact, including the genuineness of any documents described in the request. Copies of documents shall be served with the request unless they have been or are otherwise furnished or made available for inspection and copying. The request may, without leave of court, be served upon the plaintiff after commencement of the action and upon any other party after service of the summons upon that party.
Each matter of which an admission is requested shall be separately set forth. All matters of which an admission is requested shall be deemed admitted unless, within twenty (20) days after service of the request, or within such term as the court upon motion and notice may allow, the party to whom the request is directed serves upon the party requesting the admission an answer made under oath by said party, or written objection addressed to the matter. Unless the court shortens the time, a defendant shall not be required to serve answers or objections before the expiration of twenty (20) days after service of the copy of the summons and complaint upon him. Notice shall be given in the request to the effect that if answers are not served within the time specified the matter shall be deemed admitted. If objection is made to the request for admission, the reasons therefor shall be stated. The answer shall specifically deny the matter or set forth in detail the reasons why the answering party cannot admit or deny the matter. A denial shall fairly meet the substance of the requested admission, and when good faith requires that a party qualify his answer or deny only a part of the matter of which an admission is requested, he shall specify so much of it as is true and deny only the remainder. An answering party may not give lack of information or knowledge as a reason for failure to admit or deny unless he states that he has made reasonable inquiry to obtain such information and that the information known or obtained by him is insufficient to enable him to admit or deny. A party may not object to the request on the sole ground that the matter of which an admission has been requested presents a justiciable controversy; he may, subject to the provisions of Rule 34.3, deny the matter or set forth the reasons why he cannot admit it or deny it.
The party who has requested the admissions may move to determine the sufficiency of the answers of objections. Unless the court determines that an objection is justified, it shall order that an answer be served. If the court determines that an answer does not comply with the requirements of this rule, it may order either that the matter be admitted or that an amended answer be served. The court may, in lieu of these orders, determine that a final disposition of the request be made at a pretrial conference or at a designated time prior to trial. The provisions of Rule 34.1(d) apply to the award of expenses incurred in relation to the motion.
(b) Effect of admission. — Any admission made under this rule is conclusively established unless the court on motion permits withdrawal or amendment of the admission. Subject to the provisions of Rule 37 governing amendment of a pretrial order, the court may permit withdrawal or amendment of the admission when the presentation of the merits of the action will be subserved thereby and the party who obtained the admission fails to satisfy the court that withdrawal or amendment will prejudice him in maintaining his claim or defense. Any admission made by a party under these rules is for the purpose of the pending action only and is not an admission by him for any other purpose nor may it be used against him in any other proceeding.