Rule 2309.Claimant’s statement of claim. Service thereof.

Each interpleaded claimant must file, within the time the order requires, a statement of claim against the defendant and against any money or property the defendant has paid or delivered under a court order. The statement takes the same form, and is verified the same way, as a complaint in a civil action.

After the allegations about its claim against the defendant, a claimant may add, under the heading “Additional Matter,” any allegations relevant to the claim of any other claimant or party. A copy of the statement is served on the plaintiff, on every other interpleaded claimant, and on the defendant unless the defendant has disclaimed all interest in the action.

The statement drives the pleading that follows. Under Rule 2310, a defendant that has not disclaimed may answer within twenty days, but not the Additional Matter, which the plaintiff and other interpleaded parties must answer within twenty days insofar as it involves their claims. Unanswered allegations of fact become conclusive between the parties concerned under Rule 2311, and a claimant who fails to plead risks a judgment under Rule 2314 forever barring its claim against the defendant.