(1) When more than one claim for relief is presented in an action, whether as a claim, counterclaim, cross- claim, or third-party claim, or when multiple parties are involved, the court may grant a final judgment upon one or more but less than all of the claims or parties only upon a determination that there is no just reason for delay. The judgment shall recite such determination and shall recite that the judgment is final. In the absence of such recital, any order or other form of decision, however designated, which adjudicates less than all the claims or the rights and liabilities of less than all the parties shall not terminate the action as to any of the claims or parties, and the order or other form of decision is interlocutory and subject to revision at any time before the entry of judgment adjudicating all the claims and the rights and liabilities of all the parties.
Rule 54.02.Judgment upon multiple claims or involving multiple parties.
Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceRule 54.02 lets a court enter a final judgment on part of a multi-claim or multi-party case before the rest is decided, but only if the judgment states there is no just reason for delay and recites that it is final; otherwise the ruling remains interlocutory and open to revision.
Full Text of Rule 54.02
(2) When the remaining claim or claims in a multiple claim action are disposed of by judgment, that judgment shall be deemed to readjudicate finally as of that date and in the same terms all prior interlocutory orders and judgments determining claims which are not specifically disposed of in such final judgment.
(3) For the purposes of this rule demands in an action for both injunctive relief and damages may be treated as separate claims.
Amendment History
(Amended October 1, 1991, effective November 15, 1991.)
Plain-English Summary
Most lawsuits end with one judgment that resolves everything at once. Rule 54.02 covers the exception: cases with more than one claim or more than one party, where a court wants to close out part of the case while other claims or parties remain pending. The rule lets the court do that, but only if it says so in specific terms. The judgment must state that there is no just reason for delay and must recite that it is final.
Without both of those statements, an order that decides less than everything does not end the case as to those claims or parties. It stays interlocutory - a working order the court can revise anytime before it issues a judgment covering every claim and every party. That distinction matters for appeals: a party cannot appeal an interlocutory order the way it can appeal a final judgment.
The rule also addresses what happens once the rest of the case wraps up. When the remaining claims are finally decided, that closing judgment readjudicates - as of that date - any earlier interlocutory rulings on claims the final judgment does not separately address. And for a claim seeking both an injunction and damages, the rule lets a court treat those as two separate claims for purposes of applying this process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Kentucky court enter a final judgment against just one defendant when others remain in the case?
Yes. Rule 54.02 allows a court to grant final judgment on one or more but less than all of the claims or parties in a case, but only if the judgment states there is no just reason for delay and recites that it is final.
What happens if a judgment resolves only some claims but doesn't include the required language?
Without a determination that there is no just reason for delay and a recital that the judgment is final, the ruling does not terminate the action as to those claims or parties. It remains interlocutory, and the court can revise it anytime before it enters judgment on everything that remains.
Can I treat a claim for an injunction and a claim for damages as separate claims under this rule?
Yes. Rule 54.02 states that for purposes of applying this rule, demands for injunctive relief and for damages in the same action may be treated as separate claims.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (Ky. R. Civ. P. 54.02). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Kentucky (Ky. Const. § 116). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: Kentucky partial final judgment ruleCR 54.02no just reason for delay Kentuckyfinal judgment on some claims but not allinterlocutory order Kentucky civil procedureappealing a partial judgment in Kentucky