Opinion ID: 1803174
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether Fidelity Waived the Issue of Personal Jurisdiction

Text: Austin argues that Fidelity waived any objection to personal jurisdiction by not asserting lack of personal jurisdiction as an affirmative defense in its initial responsive pleading or by filing a Rule 12(b), Ala. R. Civ. P., motion to dismiss before it filed its initial responsive pleading. Fidelity argues that there was no waiver because it timely amended its initial responsive pleading pursuant to Rule 15(a), Ala. R. Civ. P., to add the lack-of-personal-jurisdiction defense. Rule 12(b) provides: Every defense, in law or fact to a claim for relief in any pleading, whether a claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim, shall be asserted in the responsive pleading thereto if one is required, except that the following defenses may at the option of the pleader be made by motion: (1) lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter, (2) lack of jurisdiction over the person.... Rule 15(a) provides: Unless a court has ordered otherwise, a party may amend a pleading without leave of court, but subject to disallowance on the court's own motion or a motion to strike of an adverse party, at any time more than forty-two (42) days before the first setting of the case for trial, and such amendment shall be freely allowed when justice so requires. We first point out that Rule 12(b) does not require that a defense of lack of personal jurisdiction be asserted by motion. At the option of the pleader, such a defense may be asserted either by answer or by motion. Here, Fidelity filed an answer as its initial response to the complaint and in that answer Fidelity averred that it was without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of the averments [relating to jurisdiction]. Such a response constitutes a denial. Rule 8(b)(If a party is without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of an averment, the party shall so state, and this has the effect of a denial.). Consequently, Fidelity did not waive the defense of lack of jurisdiction over the person when it filed its initial response. Rule 12 and Rule 15, when read together, allow a defendant to amend an answer to include a Rule 12(b) defense, which is normally asserted, at the option of the pleader in the initial responsive pleading or in a motion filed before the initial responsive pleading, provided that the motion to amend is filed more than 42 days before trial. `Therefore, any defense in law or in fact available to a party at the time he serves his responsive pleading should be asserted. But the policy of compelling the assertion of defenses by responsive pleading is not absolute. The liberal amendment policies under Rule 15 allow a party to add defenses to his responsive pleading that have been overlooked by mistake or neglect or that have become available to him after he has served his pleading, provided that the amendment does not prejudice the opposing party.' C. Wright & A. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 1348, at 538 (1969). The trial court may prohibit the amendment, or the opposing party may move to strike the amendment. Here, the trial court allowed Fidelity's amendment to add a specific statement of the defense of lack of personal jurisdiction. [3] Previously, Fidelity's denial of Austin's assertion of jurisdiction over the person was based only upon an allegation of lack of information sufficient to form a belief. Austin made no objection or motion to strike Fidelity's amendment. The answer, as amended, was before the court at the time of the adverse ruling of which Fidelity complains. Because Fidelity denied Austin's assertion of jurisdiction over the person in its initial response and included specific allegations of lack of personal jurisdiction through a proper amendment without an objection from Austin, there has been no waiver in this case.