When an order is made in favor of a person who is not a party to the action, he may enforce obedience to the order by the same process as if he were a party; and, when obedience to an order may be lawfully enforced against a person who is not a party, he is liable to the same process for enforcing obedience to the order as if he were a party.
Rule 71.Process in Behalf of and Against Persons Not Parties
Last amended July 1, 1970 · Last verified July 1, 2026
In one sentenceRule 71 lets a non-party who benefits from a court order enforce it, and lets a non-party bound by an order be forced to comply, using the same enforcement tools available against and to actual parties.
Full Text of Rule 71
Amendment History
Effective Date: July 1, 1970
Plain-English Summary
When a court order is made in favor of someone who isn't a party to the action, that person may enforce obedience to the order through the same process available to a party. In the same way, when a court order is directed at someone who isn't a party, that person is subject to the same enforcement process for failing to comply as if they were a party. This rule doesn't create any new substantive right in favor of or against a non-party -- it only supplies the enforcement mechanism once the court already has a valid basis to make an order affecting someone who isn't formally a party to the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone who isn't a party to a lawsuit enforce a court order made in their favor?
Yes. Rule 71 lets a non-party enforce an order made in their favor using the same process a party would use.
Can a non-party be held to a court order the same way a party would be?
Yes, if the court had a valid basis to make the order against that person, Rule 71 lets it be enforced against them just as it would against a party.
Does Rule 71 give courts new power to bind people who aren't parties?
No. It only supplies the enforcement process; it doesn't expand the court's underlying authority to make orders affecting non-parties.
Source & verification. The rule text, Effective Date, Amended dates, and Staff Notes are reproduced verbatim from the
official Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure (Ohio R. Civ. P. 71). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio (Ohio Constitution, Art. IV, § 5(B)). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 1, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: non-party enforcementprocess against non-parties