In ruling on a motion for judgment on the pleadings, what is the scope of the pleadings considered?

• A. all pleadings that have been filed
• B. only the complaint
• C. the complaint and attached exhibits
• D. the complaint and answers

Answer: (A)

When ruling on a judgment on the pleadings, the court looks to all pleadings that have been filed and are part of the record at the time. This means the complaint, the answer, and any other pleadings such as counterclaims or cross-claims, along with exhibits that are attached to those pleadings. The decision rests on the face of those pleadings, not on outside evidence, with the court treating well-pleaded facts in the pleadings as true and resolving ambiguities in the non-movant’s favor. Since the motion tests the claims based on the entire set of pleadings, the relevant material includes everything that has been filed, not just the complaint alone.