If in a single action a judgment is entered jointly against more than one defendant, the court upon motion may enter an appropriate judgment for one of the defendants against another defendant if (a) the moving defendant has discharged the judgment by payment or has paid more than a pro rata share of the judgment and (b) the moving defendant has a right to contribution or to recovery over from the other defendant. A response to the motion may be filed within 15 days after its service, and judgment shall not be entered until the expiration of that period.
Rule 3-614.Judgment of contribution or recovery over
District Court · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3-614 lets one defendant who paid more than a fair share of a joint judgment get a court order making a co-defendant pay them back, if the co-defendant also owes contribution.
Full Text of Rule 3-614
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is derived from former M.D.R. 605 d.
Plain-English Summary
When a single District Court judgment is entered jointly against more than one defendant, paying it off does not always settle who owes what between the defendants themselves. Rule 3-614 gives a defendant a way to sort that out within the same case. On motion, the court may enter judgment for one defendant against another if two things are true: the moving defendant has already discharged the judgment by paying it, or has paid more than a pro rata share of it, and the moving defendant has a right to contribution or to recovery over from the other defendant.
The rule builds in a short response window before that follow-on judgment can be entered. The other defendant may respond to the motion within 15 days after being served with it, and the court cannot enter judgment on the motion until that 15-day period has run.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can one defendant get a judgment against a co-defendant under this rule?
When a judgment was entered jointly against more than one defendant in the same action, and the defendant asking for relief has either paid off the whole judgment or paid more than their pro rata share, and also has a right to contribution or recovery over from the other defendant.
How much time does the other defendant get to respond to the motion?
Fifteen days after being served with the motion. The court cannot enter judgment on the motion until that period has expired, even if no response is filed.
Does this rule create a new right to contribution between defendants?
No. It provides the procedural mechanism — a motion within the existing case — for a defendant to obtain judgment on a contribution or recovery-over right that already exists; the right itself comes from elsewhere in the law.
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: contribution among joint defendants Marylandjudgment for contribution or recovery overco-defendant paid more than share Marylandmotion for contribution district court Maryland