Short answer. Move for a bill of particulars. Before responding to a pleading, a party may ask the court to order a definite statement of any matter not averred with sufficient definiteness or particularity, so he or she can properly prepare a responsive pleading. The motion must identify the defective paragraphs and the details desired.
What the law says
a party may move for a definite statement or for a bill of particulars of any matter, which is not averred with sufficient definiteness or particularity, to enable him or her properly to prepare his or her responsive pleading
Rule 12, Section 1 — When applied for; purpose. Read the full provision →
What the law says
Such motion shall point out the defects complained of, the paragraphs wherein they are contained, and the details desired.
Rule 12, Section 1 — When applied for; purpose. Read the full provision →
The remedy: a bill of particulars
The Rules do not force you to answer allegations you cannot pin down. Before responding to a pleading, a party may move for a definite statement or for a bill of particulars of any matter, which is not averred with sufficient definiteness or particularity. The stated purpose is practical — to enable him or her properly to prepare his or her responsive pleading. If the complaint says you breached an agreement without saying which one, or claims amounts without saying how they were computed, this motion compels the plaintiff to supply the missing specifics before your answer falls due.
Timing: before you respond
The motion belongs to a specific window — before responding to the pleading you find vague. Once you file an answer, you have represented that you could answer, and the moment for demanding particulars of the complaint has passed. The rule fixes one special period expressly: if the pleading is a reply, the motion must be filed within ten calendar days from service thereof. The practical discipline is to assess the complaint against the deadline for your answer as soon as you are served, and decide early whether vagueness is a genuine obstacle or merely an irritation.
What the motion itself must contain
This is not a motion you can file in general terms. It shall point out the defects complained of, the paragraphs wherein they are contained, and the details desired. A motion that simply protests that the complaint is vague, without walking the court through paragraph by paragraph what is missing, invites denial. Done properly, the motion doubles as a discipline for your own defence: itemising exactly which allegations you cannot meet forces an early, careful reading of the case against you, and the particulars you obtain shape the denials and defences your answer will raise.
Vagueness is not a ground to ignore the case
A vague complaint still carries a deadline, and doing nothing risks default. The bill of particulars is the measured response: it neither concedes anything nor gambles the case on a technical attack, and it puts the burden of clarity back where it belongs — on the party making the claims. Bring the complaint and its annexes to counsel promptly, because the choice among responses — answering outright, moving for particulars, or raising other objections — depends on what the pleading actually says and how much time remains.