New Hampshire Rules of Civil Procedures | eHow.com

New Hampshire Rules of Civil Procedures | eHow.com

The New Hampshire Rules of Civil Procedure set forth the rules and procedures for all civil cases being heard in New Hampshire state courts. As with many other states' judicial procedure rules, the New Hampshire Rules of Civil Procedure are very similar to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which are made known by the United States Supreme Court.
Pleadings
A civil case in New Hampshire begins when a complaint--a type of pleading--is filed with the court. Once the complaint has been filed, the accused party--the defendant--must file an answer, which is another type of pleading. Other pleadings such as counterclaims and third-party complaints, are also permitted during the initial stages of litigation.



The New Hampshire Rules of Civil Procedure also require that all pleadings set forth factual allegations in numbered paragraph form. All pleadings must also be signed by an attorney, if an attorney is representing the party, or the individual bringing the suit. Names, addresses and telephone numbers must also accompany the signatures on pleadings.
Intervention and Class Actions
The New Hampshire Rules of Civil Procedure require all pertinent parties included in the case before the court. Rule 15 specifically allows intervention, a process where an interested party may be added as an additional party to the case. Interested parties are attached through a motion that is made by another party to the litigation.



For class actions, the New Hampshire Rules of Civil Procedure require one or more members of the class to sue or be sued as a representative. Additionally, the class must be so numerous that a joining of all members would be impractical. Also for class action suites, there must be common questions of law or fact between class members, and the claims or defenses of the representative must be the same of those of the other class members.
Discovery
Discovery is a long phase of litigation that involves the exchange of information between all parties to the lawsuit before trial. The New Hampshire Rules of Civil Procedure permit the use of many discovery tools including medical examinations in personal injury cases, written inquiries, document requests, depositions, requests for admissions and expert witnesses.


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