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What are the 5 affirmative defenses?

Author

Sarah Martinez

Updated on February 07, 2026

Several affirmative defenses are nationally recognized, with the more common ones being necessity, duress, self-defense, entrapment, and insanity.

What are the four affirmative defenses?

Overview. Self-defense, entrapment, insanity, necessity, and respondeat superior are some examples of affirmative defenses. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 56, any party may make a motion for summary judgment on an affirmative defense.

How do you defend against a debt collector?

Takeaways on How to Effectively Defend Yourself in a Debt Collection Lawsuit

  1. Make sure you respond to the Complaint and your response is timely filed.
  2. Review potential affirmative defenses that could apply to your case.
  3. Make the debt collector prove that they have the legal right to sue you.

What are common affirmative defenses?

List of Affirmative Defenses

  • Abandonment of Trademark.
  • Accord and Satisfaction.
  • Acquiescence.
  • Act of God.
  • Adequate Warning.
  • Adhesion.
  • Adverse Possession.
  • Agency.

How do you assert affirmative defenses?

Asserting an Affirmative Defense: An Example Here’s an example. In your jurisdiction, the affirmative defense of fraud has five elements, (1) a false representation; (2) about a material fact; (3) made with knowledge of its untruth; (4) with intent to deceive; and (5) defendant relied on the representation.

What are the two categories of affirmative defenses?

While the availability of an affirmative defense will depend on the state, there are generally two categories of affirmative defenses, justifications and excuses.

When can Affirmative Defenses be raised?

If you believe the plaintiff has taken advantage of his or her own wrongdoing in relation to the lawsuit, you may raise this defense. (If you want to research the law for this defense you can find it in California Civil Code section 3517 and the cases interpreting this code section.)

Is a statute of limitations an affirmative defense?

Preserve the defense in the answer. In most jurisdictions and in federal court, the statute of limitations is an affirmative defense that is waived if not asserted in the answer.

Is there an affirmative defense against debt collectors?

Affirmative Defenses: You Can Beat the Debt Collectors. If they wait more than four years from the breach of contract, you can assert the affirmative defense of Statute of Limitations and have their lawsuit dismissed. Click here for an example of a credit card lawsuit against our client that violated the statute of limitations and was dismissed.

What are the defenses in a debt buyer lawsuit?

Other Defenses. If there is some other reason why you do not owe the debt, you should raise that defense in the collection lawsuit. Often, debt buyers sue for: debts that you discharged in bankruptcy. credit card debts that a family member, and not you, incurred, or. debts that are legally invalid for other reasons.

Can a debt collector use the lack of standing defense?

Suit was brought on after the statutory limit has passed. Most powerful affirmative defense you can have. Lack of Standing. Lack of standing is a powerful defense to use. It basically means that a debt collector has no legal basis for filing a suit.

Are there any defenses against a collection lawsuit?

Nevertheless, you may have certain defenses against creditors. Below is a non-exhaustive list of defenses that can be asserted if you are named in a collection lawsuit.