Rule 14 - Third-party Practice(a) When a Defending Party May Bring in a Third Party.(1)Timing of the Summons and Complaint. A defending party may, as third-party plaintiff, serve a summons and complaint on a nonparty who is or may be liable to it for all or part of the claim against it. But the third-party plaintiff must, by motion, obtain the court's leave if it files the third-party complaint more than 10 days after serving its original answer.(2)Third-Party Defendant's Claims and Defenses. The person served with the summons and third-party complaint-the ''third-party defendant'':(A) must assert any defense against the third-party plaintiff's claim under Rule 12;(B) must assert any counterclaim against the third-party plaintiff under Rule 13(a), and may assert any counterclaim against the third-party plaintiff under Rule 13(b) or any crossclaim against another third-party defendant under Rule 13(g);(C) may assert against the plaintiff any defense that the third-party plaintiff has to the plaintiff's claim; and(D) may also assert against the plaintiff any claim arising out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the plaintiff's claim against the third-party plaintiff.(3)Plaintiff's Claims Against a Third-Party Defendant. The plaintiff may assert against the third-party defendant any claim arising out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the plaintiff's claim against the third-party plaintiff. The third-party defendant must then assert any defense under Rule 12 and any counterclaim under Rule 13(a), and may assert any counterclaim under Rule 13(b) or any crossclaim under Rule 13(g).(4)Motion to Strike, Sever, or Try Separately. Any party may move to strike the third-party claim, to sever it, or to try it separately.(5)Third-Party Defendant's Claim Against a Nonparty. A third-party defendant may proceed under this rule against a nonparty who is or may be liable to the third-party defendant for all or part of any claim against it.(b) When a Plaintiff May Bring in a Third Party. When a claim is asserted against a plaintiff, the plaintiff may bring in a third party if this rule would allow a defendant to do so.Amended May 31, 2024, effective 6/14/2024; amended July 12, 2024, effective 7/12/2024.Comment
In 2024, Rule 14 was revised to align its language with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 14 so that authorities interpreting the federal rule could be cited more easily as persuasive authority for the interpretation of Rule 14.
Revised Rule 14(b) follows Federal Rule 14(b) in clarifying that a plaintiff can assert a third-party claim to the same degree of as a defendant, regardless of whether the claim against the plaintiff giving rise to the third-party claim was asserted as a counterclaim or as another form of claim.