Fed. R. Civ. P. 36

(a) SCOPE AND PROCEDURE.

(1) Scope. A party may serve on any other party a written request to admit, for purposes of the pending action only, the

truth of any matters within the scope of Rule 26(b)(1) relating

to:

(A) facts, the application of law to fact, or opinions

about either; and

(B) the genuineness of any described documents.

(2) Form; Copy of a Document. Each matter must be separately stated. A request to admit the genuineness of a document must be accompanied by a copy of the document unless

it is, or has been, otherwise furnished or made available for inspection and copying.

(3) Time to Respond; Effect of Not Responding. A matter is admitted unless, within 30 days after being served, the party to

whom the request is directed serves on the requesting party a

written answer or objection addressed to the matter and

signed by the party or its attorney. A shorter or longer time

for responding may be stipulated to under Rule 29 or be ordered by the court.

(4) Answer. If a matter is not admitted, the answer must specifically deny it or state in detail why the answering party

cannot truthfully admit or deny it. A denial must fairly respond to the substance of the matter; and when good faith requires that a party qualify an answer or deny only a part of

a matter, the answer must specify the part admitted and qualify or deny the rest. The answering party may assert lack of

knowledge or information as a reason for failing to admit or

deny only if the party states that it has made reasonable inquiry and that the information it knows or can readily obtain

is insufficient to enable it to admit or deny.

60 Rule 37 FEDERAL RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE

(5) Objections. The grounds for objecting to a request must be

stated. A party must not object solely on the ground that the

request presents a genuine issue for trial.

(6) Motion Regarding the Sufficiency of an Answer or Objection.

The requesting party may move to determine the sufficiency

of an answer or objection. Unless the court finds an objection

justified, it must order that an answer be served. On finding

that an answer does not comply with this rule, the court may

order either that the matter is admitted or that an amended

answer be served. The court may defer its final decision until

a pretrial conference or a specified time before trial. Rule

37(a)(5) applies to an award of expenses.

(b) E FFECT OF AN ADMISSION; W ITHDRAWING OR AMENDING IT. A

matter admitted under this rule is conclusively established unless

the court, on motion, permits the admission to be withdrawn or

amended. Subject to Rule 16(e), the court may permit withdrawal

or amendment if it would promote the presentation of the merits

of the action and if the court is not persuaded that it would prejudice the requesting party in maintaining or defending the action

on the merits. An admission under this rule is not an admission

for any other purpose and cannot be used against the party in any

other proceeding.

(As amended Dec. 27, 1946, eff. Mar. 19, 1948; Mar. 30, 1970, eff. July

1, 1970; Mar. 2, 1987, eff. Aug. 1, 1987; Apr. 22, 1993, eff. Dec. 1, 1993;

Apr. 30, 2007, eff. Dec. 1, 2007.)