Extension of a Lawsuit in Civil Proceedings in Spain

In civil proceedings in Spain, the plaintiff may request an extension of the claim/lawsuit for the accumulation of actions, as long as the proceedings show that the defendant, even if summoned for it, has not answered yet the claim initially filed.

Article 401 of the L.E.C. ("Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil": Spanish Civil Procedural Law) provides, in its sections 1 and 2, that it would not be allowed the accumulation of actions after the claim is answered, and that before the answer the lawsuit may be extended to accumulate new actions to those already exercised or to direct them against new defendants, in such cases, the term to answer the claim will be counting from the moment when the extension of the lawsuit (the document filed itself) is received by the defendant/s.