fact pleading wherein it is only necessary to plead the facts that give rise to a cause of action. It is not necessary even for the petitioner to identify the cause of action being pleaded. Mere conclusory allegations such as "the defendant was negligent" are not, by themselves, sufficient to sustain a cause of action. Other states, including Connecticut and New Jersey, are also fact-pleading jurisdictions. Illinois, for example, requires that a complaint "must assert a legally recognized cause of action and it must plead facts which bring the particular case within that cause of action." Alternative In alternative pleading, legal fiction is employed to permit a party to argue two mutually exclusive possibilities, for example, submitting an injury complaint alleging that the harm to the plaintiff caused by the defendant was so outrageous that it must have either been intended as a malicious attack or, if not, must have been due to gross negligence. Linguistic "pleaded" vs "pled" The use of "pleaded" versus "pled" as the past tense version of "pleading" has been a subject of controversy among many of those that practice law. "Pled" is almost never used in Australian publications, while being somewhat common in American, British, and Canadian publications. In a 2010 search of the Westlaw legal database, "pled" is used in a narrow majority of cases over "pleaded". The AP stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style call for "pleaded", and a Westlaw search shows the US Supreme Court has used pleaded in over 3,000 opinions and pled in only 26. See also Bill of particulars Further and better particulars General denial Legal syllogism More definite statement Motion (legal) Motion for leave Negative pregnant Petition Plea Prima facie References External links Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Civil procedure Notary Legal documents sv:Plädering