A FINRA Arbitration provides an opportunity to bar the defenses of the defendant based upon untimely or incomplete Answers.
Motion to Bar Defenses Due to Untimely or Incomplete Answers
FINRA Rule 12308 provides that the panel may, upon motion by a party, bar a party from presenting any defenses or facts at the hearing if the party did not file a timely answer. In addition, if a party answers a claim that alleges specific facts and contentions with a general denial, or fails to include defenses or relevant facts in its answer that were known to it at the time the answer was filed, the panel may bar that party from presenting the omitted defenses or facts at the hearing.
12308. Loss of Defenses Due to Untimely or Incomplete Answer
(a) If a party does not answer within the time period specified in the Code, the panel may, upon motion, bar that party from presenting any defenses or facts at the hearing, unless the time to answer was extended in accordance with the Code. The party may also be subject to default proceedings under Rule 12801, if the conditions of Rule 12801(a) apply.
(b) If a party answers a claim that alleges specific facts and contentions with a general denial, or fails to include defenses or relevant facts in its answer that were known to it at the time the answer was filed, the panel may bar that party from presenting the omitted defenses or facts at the hearing.
About the Author: Ken Strongman (www.kpstrongman.com) has years of experience and a growing national reputation as a mediator and arbitrator. He has successfully resolved more than a thousand disputes in the fields of construction defects, real estate, intellectual property, and employment. He is also a Mediator and Arbitrator for FINRA.
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