Which statement is true about compulsory counterclaims?

Which statement is true about compulsory counterclaims?

• A. They require independent jurisdiction.
• B. They must arise out of the same transaction or occurrence.
• C. They do not have to meet any jurisdictional basis.
• D. They are optional.

Answer: (B)

Compulsory counterclaims must arise out of the same transaction or occurrence as the plaintiff’s claim and must be pleaded in the defendant’s answer; if they are not asserted in this way, they are typically waived. This rule keeps related disputes together in one lawsuit, avoiding piecemeal litigation. They do not require independent jurisdiction. The counterclaim is heard in the same case under the court’s existing jurisdiction that covers the original claim. It isn’t optional; when a claim arises from the same transaction or occurrence, it must be brought as a counterclaim in the current action. It still must fit within the court’s jurisdiction, but it does not demand a separate, independent basis of jurisdiction that a standalone suit would require.

Compulsory counterclaims must arise out of the same transaction or occurrence as the plaintiff’s claim and must be pleaded in the defendant’s answer; if they are not asserted in this way, they are typically waived. This rule keeps related disputes together in one lawsuit, avoiding piecemeal litigation.

They do not require independent jurisdiction. The counterclaim is heard in the same case under the court’s existing jurisdiction that covers the original claim. It isn’t optional; when a claim arises from the same transaction or occurrence, it must be brought as a counterclaim in the current action. It still must fit within the court’s jurisdiction, but it does not demand a separate, independent basis of jurisdiction that a standalone suit would require.