Joinder

Joinder rules decide when extra plaintiffs, defendants, or claims can or must be added to a case. Permissive joinder lets parties be added when their claims share common questions of law or fact, while required joinder forces certain parties to be brought in to avoid unfairness. Joinder of claims is broad and generally allows a party to bring all related claims in one suit. Done well, joinder makes litigation more efficient and avoids inconsistent results. Done wrong, it can defeat jurisdiction or create unmanageable cases.