shotgun pleading

noun

A legal complaint or an answer to a complaint which sets forth an excessive number of facts with no clear organization, and then asserts that those facts describe a cause of action or a defense.

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Meanings

nounshotgun pleading (plural shotgun pleadings)

plural shotgun pleadings

  1. lawA legal complaint or an answer to a complaint which sets forth an excessive number of facts with no clear organization, and then asserts that those facts describe a cause of action or a defense.
Cite this entry
APA

shotgun pleading. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shotgun%20pleading

MLA

“shotgun pleading.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shotgun%20pleading. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shotgun pleading,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shotgun%20pleading.

Source: shotgun pleading on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.