Parties, Roles, and Litigation Teams
Parties
A third-party defendant is impleaded under Rule 14 by a defendant claiming the third party is liable to it for the plaintiff's claim. It may assert defenses against both the original plaintiff and the impleading party.
The plaintiff may assert direct claims against it.
Alternative Names:
Impleaded Party, Third-Party Defendant Impleader
Why it Matters?
Once impleaded, the party becomes available to the plaintiff for direct claims, which can increase total exposure rather than distributing it. A third-party defendant with substantial insurance may become the plaintiff's preferred target. That consequence should be weighed before impleading, particularly where nonparty fault allocation would achieve the same apportionment without adding a defendant.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What is the risk in impleading?
What is the alternative?


