What is a motion to strike used to remove from pleadings?

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A motion to strike targets material within pleadings that should not be part of the record—specifically scandalous, impertinent, immaterial, or redundant statements. It’s about cleaning up the pleading so the court focuses on the real claims and defenses without being distracted or prejudiced by irrelevant or inflammatory content. The typical use is to remove those problematic portions from the pleading, not to erase the entire complaint. If the whole pleading is problematically defective, other remedies like a motion to dismiss would be appropriate. Striking out a single claim or a judge’s order isn’t the usual purpose of this tool, which is why the description focusing on removing scandalous, redundant, or immaterial material is the best fit.