22.01 Generally. 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 avers that he or she is not liable 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 the parties permitted in Rule 20.
Rule 22.Interpleader
Last verified July 2, 2026
In one sentenceRule 22 lets a party facing competing claims to the same debt or property force the claimants into one lawsuit through interpleader, even if their individual claims differ or the party seeking interpleader denies liability to some or all of them.
Full Text of Rule 22
22.02 Procedure. Any property or amount involved as to which the party seeking interpleader admits liability may, upon order of the court, be deposited with the court or otherwise preserved, or secured by bond in amount sufficient to assure payment of the liability admitted. The court may thereafter enjoin all parties before it from commencing or prosecuting any other action regarding the subject matter of the interpleader action. Upon hearing, the court may order the party seeking interpleader discharged from liability as to property deposited or secured before determining the rights of the claimants thereto.
Advisory Commission Comments
Plain-English Summary
Rule 22.01 lets a party holding property or facing a potential debt — typically an insurer or a stakeholder caught between rival claimants — join those claimants as defendants and require them to interplead when their claims expose the party to double or multiple liability. The claims do not need to be identical or share a common origin, and it is not a valid objection that they are adverse to and independent of one another. The party seeking interpleader can even deny liability, in whole or in part, to any or all of the claimants and still use the rule. A defendant facing the same kind of exposure can seek interpleader through a cross-claim or counterclaim, and the rule supplements, rather than limits, the ordinary joinder of parties allowed under Rule 20.
Rule 22.02 covers the mechanics once interpleader is sought. A party who admits liability for the property or amount in dispute may, on court order, deposit it with the court, otherwise preserve it, or secure it with a bond sufficient to cover the admitted liability. Once that happens, the court can enjoin every party before it from starting or pursuing any other action over the same subject matter, and after a hearing, it can discharge the party who sought interpleader from further liability regarding the deposited or secured property, before it ever resolves which claimant is entitled to it.
Interpleader traces back to equity practice and exists to protect a stakeholder from having to guess which of several rival claimants will ultimately prevail, and from risking inconsistent judgments in separate lawsuits over the same fund. Because Tennessee has no equivalent to the federal statute that lets a stakeholder reach out-of-state claimants through nationwide service, getting personal jurisdiction over every claimant can be a real practical obstacle to using the rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the claims against a stakeholder need to be identical to use interpleader?
No. Rule 22.01 allows interpleader even when the claimants' claims differ, do not share a common origin, or are adverse to and independent of one another.
Can a party use interpleader while denying it owes anything?
Yes. Rule 22.01 lets a party seeking interpleader deny liability, in whole or in part, to any or all of the claimants while still forcing them into a single action.
What happens to the disputed property once interpleader is granted?
Under Rule 22.02, a party who admits liability may deposit the property or amount with the court, preserve it, or secure it with a bond. The court can then enjoin other lawsuits over the same subject matter and, after a hearing, discharge the depositing party from further liability regarding it.
Source & verification. The rule text and Advisory Commission Comments are reproduced verbatim from the
official Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 22). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Tennessee (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 16-3-402 to 16-3-407, 16-3-601). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 2, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: interpleadercompeting claims to the same fundstakeholder action
Advisory Commission Comments.
Rule 22.01 provides for interpleader of persons having claims against the plaintiff and specifies that it also is available to a defendant by way of cross claim or counterclaim. Rule 22.02 provides for deposit with the court of any property or amount involved as to which the party seeking interpleader admits liability. By depositing the property or amount claimed with the court, or making bond to secure payment of an admitted liability, a party may be protected against suit by any of the claimants, and may upon the hearing, be discharged from liability before the rights of the interpleaded parties have been determined.