(a) When permitted. — All persons may join in one action as plaintiffs if they assert a right to relief jointly, severally, or in the alternative in respect to or arising out of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences, and if any question of law or fact common to all these persons will arise in the action. All persons may be joined in one action as defendants if there is asserted against them jointly, severally, or in the alternative any right to relief in respect to or arising out of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences, and if any question of law or fact common to all defendants will arise in the action. A plaintiff or defendant need not be interested in obtaining or defending against all relief demanded. Judgment may be given for one or more of the plaintiffs according to their respective rights to relief and against one or more defendants according to their respective liabilities.
Rule 3-212.Permissive joinder of parties
District Court · Last amended January 1, 2004 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3-212 lets multiple plaintiffs join together or multiple defendants be sued together in District Court whenever their claims arise from the same transaction or occurrence and share a common question of law or fact, while giving the court power to prevent unfair prejudice from the joinder.
Full Text of Rule 3-212
(b) Safeguards. — The court may make such orders as will prevent a party from being embarrassed, delayed, or put to expense by the inclusion of another who asserts no claim against the party and against whom the party asserts no claim, and may order separate trials or make other orders to prevent delay or prejudice.
Amendment History
Amended Nov. 12, 2003, effective Jan. 1, 2004.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is derived as follows:
Section (a) is derived from the 1966 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 20 (a) and former Rule 313 a, c, d and e.
Section (b) is derived from the 1966 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 20 (b).
Plain-English Summary
Rule 3-212 is about efficiency, not obligation. Plaintiffs may join in a single District Court action — asserting rights jointly, severally, or in the alternative — if their claims arise out of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences, and if some question of law or fact common to all of them will come up in the case. The same standard lets a plaintiff sue multiple defendants together. No plaintiff or defendant has to want relief on every claim in the case; the court can award judgment to some plaintiffs and against some defendants according to each one's actual rights and liabilities.
Joining parties this way can create friction — a defendant might get dragged into disputes that have nothing to do with them. Section (b) gives the court tools to manage that: it can enter orders preventing a party from being embarrassed, delayed, or put to needless expense because of another party who has no real claim against them, and it can order separate trials or other measures to avoid delay or prejudice.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can multiple plaintiffs join a single Maryland District Court case?
When they assert rights to relief — jointly, severally, or in the alternative — arising out of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences, and a question of law or fact common to all of them will arise in the case.
Can defendants be sued together in District Court even if their liability isn't identical?
Yes. Rule 3-212 allows joinder of defendants under the same transaction-or-occurrence and common-question test, and the judgment can hold each defendant liable only to the extent their own conduct warrants.
Does every plaintiff joined in a case have to want the same relief?
No. A plaintiff or defendant doesn't need to be interested in obtaining or defending against every form of relief demanded in the case.
Can a District Court split up claims that were joined together?
Yes. The court may order separate trials or other measures to prevent a party from being embarrassed, delayed, or put to unnecessary expense, or to avoid prejudice generally.
Source & verification. Rule text, Committee Note, Source note, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Maryland Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Maryland. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: joining multiple plaintiffs Maryland District Courtjoining multiple defendants District Courtpermissive joinder Marylandsame transaction or occurrence District Courtseparate trials to avoid prejudice