Opinion ID: 690322
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Waiver of Affirmative Defenses

Text: 31 Mr. Kornblum's claim, that the County should not have been allowed to raise the defense of failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted in its motion for summary judgment, lacks merit. 32 A defense of failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted ... may be made in any pleading permitted or ordered under Rule 7(a), or by motion for judgment on the pleadings, or at the trial on the merits. 33 Fed.R.Civ.P. Rule 12(h)(2). Mr. Kornblum argues that the court erred in considering the failure to state a claim defense on this motion for summary judgment, because summary judgment is not a pleading, motion for judgment on the pleadings, or a trial on the merits. However, because the defense of failure to state a claim can be raised as an issue at a trial on the merits, the question of whether there is a genuine issue for trial with regard to that defense, is appropriately considered on a motion for summary judgment. 34