Persons having claims against the plaintiff may be joined as defendants and required to interplead 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 denies liability in whole or in 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 by R. 4:29.
Rule 4:31.Interpleader
Last amended September 1, 1994 · Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 7, 2026
In one sentenceRule 4:31 governs interpleader, letting a party exposed to double or multiple liability join the competing claimants as defendants and require them to interplead, even though their claims lack a common origin or the stakeholder denies liability.
Full Text of Rule 4:31
Amendment History
New Jersey publishes each rule’s amendment record in a “History” note beneath the rule. It is reproduced verbatim below; the “R.R.” citations refer to the former Revised Rules numbering the current rules replaced.
Source-R.R. 4:35 amended July 13, 1994 to be effective September 1, 1994.
Plain-English Summary
When several people claim the same thing and the holder risks paying twice, interpleader sorts it out. Under this rule, persons having claims against the plaintiff may be joined as defendants and required to interplead when their claims expose the plaintiff to double or multiple liability. It is no objection that the claims lack a common origin, are adverse to one another, or that the plaintiff denies liability to some or all claimants.
A defendant can invoke it too. A defendant exposed to similar liability may obtain interpleader by way of cross-claim or counterclaim. The rule supplements, and does not limit, the ordinary party-joinder rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is interpleader?
A procedure by which a party facing competing claims to the same money or property joins the claimants and requires them to litigate their claims among themselves, protecting the stakeholder from double or multiple liability.
Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the
official New Jersey Rules of Court (N.J. Ct. R. 4:31). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey (N.J. Const. art. VI, § 2, ¶ 3). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 7, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: interpleadercompeting claimantsdouble liabilitystakeholder