Any party, within the time allowed to respond to a pleading may serve and file a notice of motion to strike the whole or any part thereof. A motion asserting any of these defenses must be made before pleading if a responsive pleading is allowed.A demurrer under California law is a special type of motion which tests the sufficiency of the pleading. Thus, a motion to strike is typically filed with a demurrer when the moving party wishes to eliminate a claim for damages. Thus, a motion to strike is typically filed with a demurrer when the moving party wishes to eliminate a claim for damages. A motion to strike is similar to a demurrer, but it relates to only specific parts of a complaint. A Motion to Strike is similar to a Demurrer, in that it challenges defects in the complaint. However, the two pleadings challenge different types of defects. A motion under Rule 12(b)(6), like the traditional demurrer, tests the legal sufficiency of the complaint, counterclaim, or crossclaim. Starting with the 2017 I began counting separately any motion to strike that was not filed in conjunction with a demurrer.