Short answer. Yes. Section 13 of Rule 8 lets the court, on motion or its own initiative, strike out any sham, false, redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter from a pleading, or the entire pleading itself in appropriate cases, keeping the record focused on the genuine claims and defenses actually at issue.
What the law says
Upon motion made by a party before responding to a pleading or, if no responsive pleading is permitted by these Rules, upon motion made by a party within twenty calendar days after the service of the pleading upon him or her, or upon the court's own initiative at any time, the court may order any pleading to be stricken out or that any sham or false, redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter be stricken out therefrom.
Rule 8, Section 13 — Striking out of pleading or matter contained therein. Read the full provision →
Who can move to strike, and when
Section 13 gives a party the right to move to strike before responding to a pleading, or, if no responsive pleading is permitted, within twenty calendar days after service of the pleading on them. This time-bound window ensures the issue is raised promptly rather than left hanging indefinitely while the case proceeds. The court itself can also act on its own initiative at any time, without waiting for a party's motion.
What kind of content can be struck
The section lists several categories the court may order stricken: sham matter (not genuine), false matter, redundant matter, immaterial matter (having no bearing on the issues), impertinent matter (not properly related to the case), or scandalous matter (needlessly disparaging or offensive content). It covers both an entire pleading and any such matter contained within it — meaning the court can remove just the offending portion rather than the whole document.
Why this tool exists
This provision protects the integrity of the pleading and the fairness of the proceedings — a party should not have to litigate a case cluttered with irrelevant, false, or gratuitously offensive material that has no bearing on the actual claims and defenses at issue. Where a pleading includes scandalous accusations unrelated to any material issue, Section 13 gives the aggrieved party (or the court itself) a direct mechanism to have that content removed from the record.
The court retains discretion either way
Section 13 says the court 'may' order matter stricken, not that it must — the decision remains discretionary even where the moving party makes a strong showing that content is sham, false, redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous. The court can strike only the offending passage while leaving the rest of the pleading intact, or, in a sufficiently extreme case, order the entire pleading stricken instead. Either way, granting the motion relieves the record of allegations that could otherwise improperly color the proceedings, even where they have no real bearing on the claims and defenses actually being litigated.
Related provisions
- Rule 8, Section 13 — Striking out of pleading or matter contained therein
- Rule 8, Section 1 — In general