(A) Plaintiff or defendant. Persons having claims against the plaintiff may be joined as defendants and required to inter- plead when their claims are such that the plaintiff is or may be exposed to double or multiple liability. It is not ground for objection to the joinder that the claims of the several claimants or the titles on which their claims depend do not have a common origin or are not identical but are adverse to and independent of one another, or that the plaintiff avers that he is not liable in whole or part to any or all of the claimants. A defendant exposed to similar liability may obtain such interpleader by way of cross-claim or counterclaim. The provisions of this rule supplement and do not in any way limit the joinder of parties permitted in Rule 20.
Rule 22.Interpleader
Current through July 1, 2026 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 22 lets someone facing conflicting claims to the same money or property force all the rival claimants into a single lawsuit, so the dispute over who's entitled to it gets resolved once instead of in separate suits that could reach different results.
Full Text of Rule 22
(B) Extension of statutory interpleader. This rule shall extend, but not diminish or reduce the right to interpleader provided by stat- ute.
(C) Sufficiency of complaint or answer seeking interpleader. A complaint or answer seeking interpleader under Rule 22(A) is sufficient if:
(1) it admits that a liability is owing or it states that a totally or partially unfounded liability is asserted to be owing to either one or more of the parties interpleaded;
(2) it declares that because of such claims the person seeking interpleader is or may be exposed to double or multiple liability; and
(3) it prays that the parties interpleaded assert their claims against the party seeking inter- pleader and against each other. The complaint may also show, if such is the fact, that the person seeking interpleader has deposited with the court money, or property, or a bond securing performance. It also may include appropriate prayers for equitable relief, including injunction against other non- pending suits by the parties interpleaded, against the person seeking interpleader or among themselves. Except to the extent that the issues are raised by the pleadings of the person seeking interpleader, the claims of those interpleaded, whether dependent or independent, may be pleaded in the same manner as if the claims were counterclaims or cross-claims under Rule 13 and within the time as prescribed by Rule 6. Incorrectness of the interpleader under Rule 22(A) is grounds for dismissal as provided in Rule 12(B)(6). New service against defaulting parties required by Rule 5(A) shall not apply to the responsive pleadings filed by parties named to interpleader proceedings under Rule 22(A) unless ordered by the court. Trial of the issues may be held at one [1] hearing or in successive stages at the sound dis- cretion of the court and subject to Rule 42.
(D) Release from liability--Deposit or delivery. Any party seeking interpleader, as provided in subdivision (A) of this rule, may deposit with the court the amount claimed, or deliver to the court or as otherwise directed by the court the property claimed, and the court may thereupon order such party discharged from liability as to such claims, and the action continued as between the claimants of such money or prop- erty.
Amendment History
This rule’s current text took effect January 1, 1970. For the full history of earlier amendments and adoption orders, see the Indiana Office of Court Services.
Plain-English Summary
Interpleader solves a particular bind: someone holds money or property, or owes a debt, and two or more people each claim they're entitled to it. Paying or delivering to the wrong one risks having to pay again to the right one. Section A lets that person — as plaintiff or, through a cross-claim or counterclaim, as defendant — join all the rival claimants in one case and require them to fight out who's entitled to the disputed money or property. It doesn't matter that the claimants' theories have nothing in common, that their claims contradict each other, or that the person caught in the middle denies owing anything at all to any of them. Interpleader under this rule works alongside, not instead of, the ordinary rules for joining parties in Rule 20.
Section B protects any separate right to interplead that Indiana statutes already provide — this rule adds to that right rather than cutting it back.
Section C spells out what an interpleader complaint or answer needs to include: an admission that something is owed, or at least a statement that a claim to it has been asserted, whether well-founded or not; a statement that the competing claims expose the person seeking interpleader to double or multiple liability; and a request that the claimants sort out their competing rights against the interpleading party and against each other. The pleading can note that money, property, or a bond has already been deposited with the court, and it can ask for equitable relief, including an order stopping the claimants from pursuing separate lawsuits over the same money or property. Once the claimants are before the court, they plead their own claims against each other much like a counterclaim or cross-claim, on the schedule Rule 6 sets. If the interpleader itself doesn't meet these requirements, that's grounds to dismiss it. A claimant who defaults doesn't have to be served again with the other parties' responsive pleadings, unless the court orders otherwise, and the court can try the issues at a single hearing or in stages, consistent with Rule 42.
Section D offers a practical way out for the person facing the competing claims: deposit the disputed amount, or deliver the disputed property, with the court, and ask to be released from further liability on the claims. Once that happens, the case continues only among the claimants themselves, fighting over the fund or property now held by the court.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is interpleader, in plain terms?
It's a way for someone holding money or property that two or more people each claim to be owed, to bring all those rival claimants into one lawsuit and let the court decide who's entitled to it, rather than risk paying the wrong claimant and being sued again by the right one.
Do the rival claims have to be related to each other to use interpleader?
No. It's not a ground for objection that the claims, or the titles they're based on, share no common origin, or that they're independent of and adverse to one another.
Can a defendant use interpleader, or only a plaintiff who files the lawsuit?
A defendant facing the same kind of exposure to double or multiple liability can seek interpleader too, through a cross-claim or counterclaim.
Do I have to admit I owe the money to use interpleader?
No. The complaint or answer can instead state that a totally or partially unfounded liability has been asserted against you, rather than admitting that anything is owed at all.
How do I get released from the case once I've sought interpleader?
Deposit the disputed amount, or deliver the disputed property, with the court under Section D. The court can then discharge you from liability, and the case continues among the remaining claimants over that money or property.
What happens if my interpleader complaint doesn't meet the rule's requirements?
An interpleader that doesn't satisfy Section C's requirements is grounds for dismissal under Rule 12(B)(6).
Does Indiana's statutory interpleader still apply, or does Rule 22 replace it?
Rule 22 extends the right to interplead beyond what statutes provide; it doesn't diminish or reduce any interpleader right that already exists by statute.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Indiana Rules of Trial Procedure (T.R. 22). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Indiana, under its inherent constitutional rulemaking power (reaffirmed by Ind. Code 34-8-1-1 and 34-8-2-1); originally enacted by the Indiana General Assembly in 1969. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
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