Can a defendant in a federal case bring in a third-party defendant through joinder?

In federal civil procedure, a defendant can indeed bring in a third-party defendant through joinder under Rule 14 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. This rule explicitly allows a defending party to add a third-party defendant if the third party may be liable to the defendant for all or part of the claim against them. This process can help simplify the litigation by resolving related claims within a single case, ensuring that all parties potentially responsible for the plaintiff's alleged harm can be included in one proceeding.

Using Rule 14, the original defendant can file a third-party complaint, which serves to bring in another party whose involvement may help allocate liability or even improve the original defendant's position concerning the original claim. This aspect of joinder promotes judicial efficiency and fairness, as it prevents multiple lawsuits over the same matter.

The options surrounding the answer indicate a misunderstanding of the procedure: stating that third-party defendants cannot be added is incorrect because Rule 14 specifically allows it under the right circumstances. Limiting this ability to only state-court jurisdiction or outright stating it is not allowed in federal cases misses the essential point of federal procedural law, which supports third-party claims as part of its framework for comprehensive dispute resolution. Thus, the correct understanding hinges on the provisions made by