What is filed BEFORE a trial to request that certain evidence be excluded or limited?

• A. Answer to complaint
• B. Initial motion in limine
• C. Motion for summary judgment
• D. Subpoena

Answer: (B)

Controlling what evidence may be admitted by requesting a pretrial ruling on admissibility. An in limine motion is filed before the trial to ask the judge to exclude or limit certain evidence from being shown or argued at trial. The goal is to prevent potentially prejudicial, irrelevant, or unreliable material from affecting the jury before the proceedings begin, and to streamline the trial by resolving these issues in advance. If the court grants the motion, the specified evidence cannot be admitted (or is limited in how it can be used) during the trial. If the motion is denied, the party can still object during the trial as needed, but the ruling has already framed how the evidence may be argued or presented.

The other options don’t fit this purpose. An answer to a complaint is a defendant’s response to the allegations, not about evidentiary ruling. A motion for summary judgment seeks a ruling on the case's merits based on law without a trial. A subpoena is a tool to compel witness testimony or document production, not a pretrial ruling about what evidence can be admitted.