What are the rules for joinder of parties in a civil suit?

Joinder of parties in a civil suit in Massachusetts involves the addition of additional parties into a lawsuit. All parties brought into the case must have substantial legal interests at stake, and must either be suing or being sued in the case. In Massachusetts, parties may be joined either by permissive joinder or compulsory joinder. Permissive joinder is when parties are joined in a case but their claims are not related – this is done solely so they can all have their cases heard in the same court at the same time. Compulsory joinder is when the parties are joined and their claims are related. This is necessary when a party’s claim depends on another party’s claim, or when one party’s claim could be affected by another’s. In Massachusetts, parties may be added to an existing suit at any time during the legal process. Both parties must be willing to accept each other’s claims, and any new party being added must be served with the other parties’ complaints before they can be added. The new parties must be given the chance to answer any of the original parties’ complaints, and they are treated as parties who have been involved in the case for the entire time. If the joinder rules are not followed, the court may not allow the new parties to join the lawsuit.

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What are the rules for joinder of parties in a civil suit?

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