After petition and returns of the original notices are filed in an interpleader, the court may enjoin all parties before it from beginning or prosecuting any other suit as to the subject of the interpleader until its further order.
Rule 1.255.Injunction
Division II: Actions, Joinder of Actions and Parties · Last amended February 15, 2002 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceRule 1.255 lets the court, once the interpleader petition and returns of the original notices are filed, enjoin every party before it from starting or pursuing any other lawsuit over the same disputed property until it orders otherwise.
Full Text of Rule 1.255
Plain-English Summary
Interpleader only works if it consolidates the fight in one place. Rule 1.255 gives the court a tool to make that happen: once the petition and the returns of the original notices are on file, the court can enjoin every party already before it from beginning or continuing any other suit involving the same disputed property.
That injunction stays in place until the court lifts it. Without this power, a claimant unhappy with how the interpleader is going could file a competing lawsuit elsewhere, defeating the purpose of pulling everyone into one action in the first place. Rule 1.255 closes that door while the interpleader proceeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the court stop other lawsuits from being filed once an interpleader action is underway?
Yes. Rule 1.255 lets the court enjoin all parties already before it from beginning or prosecuting any other suit involving the subject of the interpleader, once the petition and returns of the original notices are filed.
How long does the injunction under Rule 1.255 last?
Until the court's further order. The rule does not set a fixed expiration; the injunction continues until the court decides to lift or modify it.
Does the injunction apply to lawsuits already filed elsewhere, or only new ones?
Rule 1.255 covers both -- it bars parties from beginning a new suit and from prosecuting one already underway involving the same subject matter.
What has to happen before the court can issue this injunction?
The petition and the returns of the original notices in the interpleader action must be filed first. Rule 1.255 ties the court's injunction power to that filing point.
Does the injunction bind everyone, or only the parties already in the interpleader case?
It binds the parties already before the court in the interpleader action. Rule 1.255 speaks to enjoining those parties, not nonparties who have not yet been brought in.
Source & verification. Rule text and the Comment are
reproduced verbatim from the Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the
Iowa Supreme Court. Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
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