(a) Joinder of Claims. A party asserting a claim to relief as an original claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim, may join either as independent or as alternate claims as many claims either legal or equitable or both, and individually and in the aggregate within the subject-matter jurisdiction of the court, as the party has against an opposing party.
Rule 18.Joinder of Claims and Remedies
Last amended May 1, 2000 · Last verified July 8, 2026
In one sentenceRule 18 lets a party join as many legal or equitable claims as it has against an opposing party in a single action, and lets a plaintiff combine a claim for money with a claim to set aside a fraudulent conveyance without first winning a judgment on the underlying debt.
Full Text of Rule 18
(b) Joinder of Remedies; Fraudulent Conveyances. Whenever a claim is one heretofore cognizable only after another claim has been prosecuted to a conclusion, the two claims, if within the subject-matter jurisdiction of the court, may be joined in a single action; but the court shall grant relief in that action only in accordance with the relative substantive rights of the parties. In particular, a plaintiff may state a claim for money and a claim to have set aside a conveyance fraudulent as to the plaintiff, without first having obtained a judgment establishing the claim for money.
Advisory Committee’s Notes & Reporter’s Notes
Advisory Committee’s Notes — May 1, 2000
Subdivision (b) is amended to eliminate the specific reference to the Superior Court. This change was apparently overlooked in the merger of the District Court and Superior Court rules.
Explanation of Amendment — November 1, 1966
This amendment was taken from a 1966 amendment rewriting F.R. 18(a). It clears up confusion in the federal cases by stating clearly, as a comprehensive proposition, that a party asserting a claim (an original claim, counterclaim, cross- claim, or third-party claim) may join as many claims as he has against an opposing party. This permitted joinder is not affected by the fact that there are multiple parties in the action. This is only a rule of pleading and does not, of course, prevent a separation of issues for trial for convenience or to avoid prejudice, as provided in Rule 42(b).
Reporter's Notes — December 1, 1959
This rule is the same as Federal Rule 18. Rule 18(a) allows unlimited joinder of claims by a plaintiff or a counterclaiming defendant. Law and equity having been merged, this means that legal and equitable claims may be joined, either independently or in the alternative. The rule changes Maine practice, which still maintains the artificial common law restrictions on joinder of claims involving different forms of action. These present restrictions may prevent the joinder of logically connected claims and allow the joinder of wholly unrelated ones.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 18 removes the old common-law restrictions that once forced a plaintiff to sort claims into separate lawsuits depending on their legal category. Whether a claim is legal or equitable, and whether it is raised as an original claim, a counterclaim, a cross-claim, or a third-party claim, a party can join it with any other claim it has against the same opponent, in the same action, independently or in the alternative, as long as the combined claims fall within the court’s subject-matter jurisdiction.
Subdivision (b) addresses a specific sequencing problem: some claims traditionally could not be brought until an earlier claim was resolved. A creditor pursuing a debtor who fraudulently transferred assets no longer has to win a money judgment first and then file a second suit to unwind the transfer — both claims can proceed together in one action, with the court granting relief consistent with each side’s actual substantive rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of claims can be joined under Rule 18?
Any claims, legal or equitable, that a party has against an opposing party, whether raised as an original claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim, joined either independently or as alternatives.
Can a plaintiff sue for money and to void a fraudulent transfer in the same case?
Yes. Subdivision (b) lets a plaintiff combine a claim for money with a claim to set aside a conveyance that is fraudulent as to the plaintiff, without first obtaining a separate judgment on the money claim.
Does joining claims under Rule 18 require a common question of law or fact?
No. Rule 18 imposes no such requirement for a single party's own claims against an opponent — that limitation applies instead to joining multiple parties under Rule 20.
Source & verification. The rule text and Advisory Committee’s Notes / Reporter’s
Notes are reproduced verbatim from the official Maine Rules of Civil Procedure (Me. R. Civ. P. 18), prescribed by the
Supreme Judicial Court of Maine (4 M.R.S. § 8, the Rules Enabling Act). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 8, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: joinder of claimsfraudulent conveyance claimcombining claims in one lawsuit