Rule 2305.Service on and Answer of Plaintiff.

Interpleader brings rival claimants into the plaintiff’s case, so the plaintiff gets a chance to respond. A copy of the petition must be served on the plaintiff or the plaintiff’s attorney. The plaintiff may answer, and any answer must be filed within twenty days of that service, with a copy served on the defendant or the defendant’s attorney.

The answer is optional, but silence has a cost. Under Rule 2306(a), the court directs an interpleader if the petition conforms to the rules and its allegations are established either by proof or by the plaintiff’s failure to file a sufficient answer. An answer can also raise the grounds on which the court may deny the petition, such as unreasonable delay in filing it, or the defendant’s having admitted a claim with knowledge that an inconsistent claim would follow.

Meanwhile the case waits. Under Rule 2303(c), filing the petition stays all proceedings in the action until the court has disposed of it.