{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-20.4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-20.4.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1998/3132",
  "legislation_title": "The Civil Procedure Rules 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998",
  "path": "rule/20.4",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "20.4",
  "heading": "Defendant’s counterclaim against the claimant",
  "text": "(1) A defendant may make a counterclaim against a claimant by filing particulars of the counterclaim.\n(2) A defendant may make a counterclaim against a claimant—\n(a) without the court’s permission if the defendant files the counterclaim with the defence; or\n(b) at any other time with the court’s permission.\n(Part 15 makes provision for a defence to a claim and applies to a defence to a counterclaim by virtue of rule 20.3).\n(3) Part 10 (acknowledgment of service) does not apply to a claimant who wishes to defend a counterclaim.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. 20 substituted (6.4.2006) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment No.4) Rules 2005 (S.I. 2005/3515), rule 1, Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in rule 20.4(2)(a) substituted (6.4.2023) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2023 (S.I. 2023/105), rules 1(1), 13(2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/3132/rule/20.4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:12:59.276840+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}