A Practice Note explaining how a defendant in a Florida circuit civil court case may assert affirmative claims in an answer to a complaint against the plaintiff (counterclaims) or co-defendants (crossclaims). Specifically, this Note explains the difference between permissive and compulsory counterclaims, the types of crossclaims a defendant may assert, and how to draft counterclaims and crossclaims in an answer. This Note also addresses how to join additional counterclaim or crossclaim defendants, how counterclaims and crossclaims affect service and filing of the answer, and how a counterclaim or crossclaim defendant should respond to a counterclaim or crossclaim.