A defendant may bring in a third party not currently a party who is or may be liable to him for all or part of the plaintiff's claim.

A defendant may bring in a third party not currently a party who is or may be liable to him for all or part of the plaintiff's claim.

• A. A person not a party who is or may be liable to him for all or part of the plaintiff's claim
• B. A person already named as a defendant
• C. A person who is a plaintiff in another matter
• D. A government entity

Answer: (A)

Impleader under Rule 14 lets a defendant bring in a nonparty who may be liable to the defendant for all or part of the plaintiff’s claim. The idea is to shift or share liability: the plaintiff continues against the original defendant, and the defendant can seek indemnity or contribution from the third party if that person is liable to the defendant. This matches the description of bringing in someone not currently in the case who may owe the defendant for part of what the plaintiff seeks. The other scenarios don’t fit this mechanism. Bringing in someone already named as a defendant isn’t third-party impleader, since that person is already in the suit. A plaintiff from another matter isn’t the person who would be liable to the defendant for this claim, and a government entity isn’t the concept described by impleader, which focuses on a nonparty who may be liable to the defendant.

Impleader under Rule 14 lets a defendant bring in a nonparty who may be liable to the defendant for all or part of the plaintiff’s claim. The idea is to shift or share liability: the plaintiff continues against the original defendant, and the defendant can seek indemnity or contribution from the third party if that person is liable to the defendant. This matches the description of bringing in someone not currently in the case who may owe the defendant for part of what the plaintiff seeks.

The other scenarios don’t fit this mechanism. Bringing in someone already named as a defendant isn’t third-party impleader, since that person is already in the suit. A plaintiff from another matter isn’t the person who would be liable to the defendant for this claim, and a government entity isn’t the concept described by impleader, which focuses on a nonparty who may be liable to the defendant.