Verbatim authority
RULE 12.120
PLEADING SPECIAL MATTERS
(a) Capacity. Unless required by statute, it is not necessary
to allege the capacity of a party to sue or be sued, the authority of a
party to sue or be sued in a representative capacity, or the legal
existence of an organized association of persons that is made a
party, except to the extent required to show the jurisdiction of the
court. The initial pleading served on behalf of a minor party must
specifically allege the age of the minor party. When a party desires
to raise an issue as to the legal existence of any party, the capacity
of any party to sue or be sued, or the authority of a party to sue or
be sued in a representative capacity, that party must do so by
specific negative allegation(s) which must include such supporting
particulars as are peculiarly within the pleader’s knowledge.
(b) Fraud; Mistake; Condition of the Mind. In all
allegations of fraud or mistake, the circumstances constituting
fraud or mistake must be stated with such particularity as the
circumstances may permit. Malice, intent, knowledge, mental
attitude, and other condition of mind of a person may be alleged
generally.
(c) Conditions Precedent. In pleading the performance or
occurrence of conditions precedent, it is sufficient to allege
generally that all conditions precedent have been performed or have
occurred. A denial of performance or occurrence must be made
specifically and with particularity.
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Family Law Rules of Procedure October 1, 2025 46
(d) Official Document or Act. In pleading an official
document or official act it is sufficient to allege that the document
was issued or the act done in compliance with law.
(e) Judgment or Decree. In pleading a judgment or decree
of a domestic or foreign court, a judicial or quasi-judicial tribunal,
or a board or officer, it is sufficient to allege the judgment or decree
without setting forth matter showing jurisdiction to render it.
(f) Time and Place. For the purpose of testing the
sufficiency of a pleading, allegations of time and place are material
and must be considered like all other allegations of material matter.
(g) Special Damage. When items of special damage are
claimed, they must be specifically stated.
Source: The Florida Bar — Family Law Rules of Procedure compilation (PDF) · retrieved July 7, 2026
Extraction cross-checked 2026-07-07 against an owner-supplied packet copy — byte-identical to the live official Bar compilation (same-origin copy); all 95 rule hashes reproduced exactly. Status remains pending until a named human reviewer signs off (scripts/verify-rules.mjs).