CA AB2508

Exempts unlawful detainer actions from Section 431.40, which allows defendants in cases under $1,000 to file general written denials instead of detailed answers.

Requires defendants asserting affirmative defenses in residential unlawful detainer actions for unpaid rent to allege specific facts supporting habitability breaches, repair-and-deduct remedies, or rent tender defenses in their answers.

Mandates defendants disclose whether they have sufficient funds to satisfy a judgment and provide verified statements on a Judicial Council-prescribed form.

Requires the Judicial Council to create a form by July 1, 2016, that defendants may use to assert affirmative defenses with required supporting facts and statements.

Operative date for these pleading requirements is July 1, 2016, except the requirement for the Judicial Council to develop the form.