(a) Joinder of claims. A party asserting a claim to relief as an original claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim may join, either as independent or as alternate claims, as many claims, legal or equitable, as he has against an opposing party.
§ 9-11-18.Joinder of claims and remedies
Chapter 11. Civil Practice Act · Article 4. Parties · Last amended 1968 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 9-11-18 lets a party asserting any claim join as many legal or equitable claims against an opposing party as they have, independent or alternative, and lets a plaintiff combine a money claim with a claim to set aside a fraudulent conveyance without first winning judgment on the money claim.
Full Text of § 9-11-18
(b) Joinder of remedies; fraudulent conveyances. Whenever a claim is one heretofore cognizable only after another claim has been prosecuted to a conclusion, the two claims may be joined in a single action; but the court shall grant relief in that action only in accordance with the relative substantive rights of the parties. In particular, a plaintiff may state a claim for money and a claim to have set aside a conveyance fraudulent as to him without first having obtained a judgment establishing the claim for money.
Plain-English Summary
This section removes an old constraint on how many claims a party can bring in one lawsuit. A party asserting an original claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim may join as many claims as it has against the opposing party, whether they rest on legal or equitable grounds and whether they’re asserted as independent claims or as alternatives to one another. Nobody has to pick a single theory before filing.
Subsection (b) handles a narrower situation: claims that historically could be pursued only after another claim reached a conclusion. Those two claims may now be joined in a single suit, though the court still limits relief to what the parties’ substantive rights support. The section gives a concrete example — a plaintiff can join a claim for money owed with a claim to set aside a conveyance made to defraud creditors, without first having to win a judgment establishing the debt.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many claims can a plaintiff bring against a defendant in one Georgia lawsuit?
As many as the plaintiff has against that opposing party, whether legal or equitable, and whether asserted as independent claims or as alternatives to each other.
Do the claims joined together have to be consistent with one another?
No. The section allows claims to be joined either as independent claims or as alternate claims, without requiring them to agree with each other.
What does the fraudulent-conveyance example in subsection (b) illustrate?
That a plaintiff can join a claim for money owed with a claim to set aside a fraudulent conveyance in the same suit, without first having obtained a judgment on the money claim.
Does joining multiple claims change what relief a court can award?
No. The court still grants relief in accordance with the parties’ relative substantive rights, regardless of how many claims are joined together.
Does this section apply only to a plaintiff’s original claims, or also to counterclaims and cross-claims?
It applies broadly — to an original claim, a counterclaim, a cross-claim, or a third-party claim alike.
Amendment History
Ga. L. 1966, p. 609, § 18; Ga. L. 1968, p. 1104, § 7.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, published by the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Georgia Code Revision Commission / LexisNexis. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: joinder of claims Georgiajoin legal and equitable claims Georgia lawsuitfraudulent conveyance claim joined with debt claim GeorgiaGeorgia civil practice joinder of remedies