Alternative pleading is a legal fiction permitting a party to argue multiple possibilities that may be mutually exclusive. In the common law, legal fictions are suppositions of fact taken to be true by the courts of law, but which are not necessarily true. ... In logic, two mutually exclusive propositions are propositions that logically cannot both be true. ...

A pleading in the alternative sets forth multiple claims or defenses either hypothetically or alternatively, such that if one of the claims or defenses are held invalid or insufficient, the other claims or defenses should still have to be answered. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... In most litigation under the common law adversarial system the defendant, perhaps with the assistance of counsel, may allege or present defenses (or defences) in order to avoid liability, civil or criminal. ...

One example, submitting an injury complaint alleging that the harm to the defendant caused by the plaintiff was so outrageous that it must have either been intended as a malicious attack or, if not, must have been due to gross negligence.

Civil Law

The United States Federal Rules of Civil Procedure [[1]] state "...A party may set forth two or more statements of a claim or defense alternately or hypothetically, either in one count or defense or in separate counts or defenses. When two or more statements are made in the alternative and one of them if made independently would be sufficient, the pleading is not made insufficient by the insufficiency of one or more of the alternative statements. A party may also state as many separate claims or defenses as the party has regardless of consistency and whether based on legal, equitable, or maritime grounds..." The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) govern civil procedure in the United States district courts, or more simply, court procedures for civil suits. ...

Criminal Law

Because pleading in the alternative is generally permitted in criminal cases, a defendant may claim to have not committed the crime itself, but at the same time may claim that if the defendant had committed the crime, the act was excused for a reason such as insanity or intoxication, or was justified due to provocation or self defense.

References

• http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/PLEADINGINTHEALTERNATIVE
• http://dictionary.law.com/default2.asp?selected=2392&bold=%7C%7C%7C%7C