15. Which motion should the man's attorney file in response to the answer?

Motions are typically contained in papers that are separate from the pleadings. They are heard and/or decided separately from the merits of the case, or on certain occasions, heard at the time of trial and disposed of then. Certain defenses may be raised either in the answer or by motion. These defenses are known as Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (FRCP) 12(b) defenses. They are directed solely at the pleading and must be decided solely by reference to them.

If the defendant believes that the plaintiff's initial pleading does not state a legally sufficient claim, the defendant can make an FRCP 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. For such a motion to be successful, it must demonstrate that even if every fact asserted in the complaint is taken as true, no recovery is plausible under any legal theory.

FRCP 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss are generally made before defendants file their answers. After the defendant files an answer and the pleadings have been completed, either party may then challenge the sufficiency of the pleadings by an FRCP 12(c) motion for judgment on the pleadings. In substance, an FRCP 12(c) motion is exactly the same as a 12(b)(6) motion, except that a motion for judgment on the pleadings is made after the defendant has filed their answer.

Later in the lifecycle of a federal case, either party may make a number of motions to adjudicate the dispute in their favor without a trial. If one party shows that there is no genuine dispute of any material fact in the lawsuit and that he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, he can be awarded judgment through an FRCP 56 motion for summary judgment. The party seeking summary judgment has the burden of producing information that clearly establishes there is no factual dispute for a jury to resolve.

If the case reaches a jury, either party may move for a judgment as a matter of law, which has the effect of taking the case away from the jury and determining the outcome as a matter of law. FRCP 50(a)(1) states that if a party has been fully heard on an issue during a jury trial and the court finds that a reasonable jury would not have a legally sufficient evidentiary basis to find for the party on that issue, the court may resolve the issue against the party and grant a motion for judgment as a matter of law against the party, on a claim or defense that, under the controlling law, can be maintained or defeated only with a favorable finding on that issue.

B is correct. A process of elimination is the most effective way to answer this question. The man has filed a complaint against the woman, who has responded with her own answer, so an FRCP 12(b)(6) motion would not be appropriate. The facts do not mention any more proceedings, such as discovery or any more claims being added to the case, so any motions relating to trial or post-trial issues are not applicable.

This leaves the man with only one option: an FRCP 12(c) motion for judgment on the pleadings. This would be the best option for the man because the woman's answer states that she did not pay the debt because she used the money for something else. This is exactly the kind of situation where a motion for judgment on the pleadings is appropriate; the woman's answer admits that she cannot plausibly present a defense to the man under any theory for why she did not pay her debt.

A is incorrect. Summary judgment would not be the appropriate motion for the man's attorney at this stage of the case. As explained above, both the man and the woman have pleaded, but no further proceedings have taken place. Thus, the proper standard of inquiry is not FRCP 56 (no genuine dispute as to any material fact) because only the pleadings have been entered.

C is incorrect. An FRCP (12)(b)(6) motion, as explained above, is made when the defendant believes that nothing within the plaintiff's complaint states a legally sufficient claim, and he may move to dismiss. Here, the man is the plaintiff, so it would not be appropriate for him to make a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim.

D is incorrect. Like a motion for summary judgment, a motion for judgment as a matter of law would be inappropriately timed by the man's attorney at this stage in the case. FRCP 50 requires that a party be fully heard on an issue during a jury trial, which has not yet occurred in this question.