(a) When defendant may bring in third party. At any time after commencement of the action a defendant, as a third-party plaintiff, may cause a summons and complaint to be served upon a person not a party to the action who is or may be liable to him for all or part of the plaintiff’s claim against him. The third- party plaintiff need not obtain leave to make the service if he files the third-party complaint not later than 14 days after he serves his original answer. Otherwise he must obtain leave on motion upon notice to all parties to the action. The person served with the summons and third-party complaint, hereinafter called the third-party defendant, shall make his defenses to the third-party plaintiff’s claim as provided in Rule 12 and his counterclaims against the third-party plaintiff and cross-claims against other third-party defendants as provided in Rule 13. The third-party defendant may assert against the plaintiff any defenses which the third- party plaintiff has to the plaintiff’s claim. The third-party defendant may also assert any claim against the plaintiff arising out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the plaintiff’s claim against the third-party plaintiff. The plaintiff may assert any claim against the third-party defendant arising out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the plaintiff’s claim against the third-party plaintiff, and the third-party defendant thereupon shall assert his defenses as provided in Rule 12 and his counterclaims and cross-claims as provided in Rule 13. A third-party defendant may proceed under this rule against any person not a party to the action who is or may be liable to him for all or part of the claim made in the action against the third-party defendant.
Rule 14.Third-party practice
Part III: Pleadings, Motions, and Orders · Last amended May 1, 2014 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 14 lets a defendant bring a new party into the lawsuit as a third-party defendant when that person may owe the defendant reimbursement for the plaintiff's claim.
Full Text of Rule 14
(b) When plaintiff may bring in third party. When a counterclaim is asserted against a plaintiff, he may cause a third party to be brought in under circumstances which under this rule would entitle a defendant to do so.
Amendment History
Amended effective May 1, 2014.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 14 covers impleader — bringing a new party into an existing lawsuit through a third-party complaint. A defendant, acting as a third-party plaintiff, can serve a summons and third-party complaint on someone who isn't yet a party but who may owe the defendant all or part of what the defendant might have to pay the plaintiff. If the defendant files the third-party complaint within 14 days of serving its own answer, no court permission is needed; after that, the defendant must ask the court for leave and give notice to everyone already in the case.
Once brought in, the third-party defendant answers the third-party plaintiff's claim using the defense rules in Rule 12 and can raise counterclaims and crossclaims under Rule 13, just like any other defendant. The third-party defendant can also raise any defense the third-party plaintiff has against the original plaintiff, and can bring its own claim against the plaintiff if that claim arises from the same transaction or occurrence as the plaintiff's original claim. The plaintiff, in turn, can assert a claim directly against the third-party defendant arising from that same transaction or occurrence, and the third-party defendant then responds to that claim under Rules 12 and 13 as well. A third-party defendant facing this kind of exposure can use Rule 14 the same way to pull in still another party. Rule 14(b) extends the same mechanism to a plaintiff who has a counterclaim asserted against it: the plaintiff can bring in a third party under the same terms that would let a defendant do so.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a third-party complaint under Utah Rule 14?
It's a claim a defendant files against someone not yet in the case, asserting that this new person — the third-party defendant — may owe the defendant all or part of whatever the defendant ends up owing the plaintiff. It's the mechanism for pulling a potentially responsible party into an existing lawsuit rather than filing a separate case.
Do I need the court's permission to file a third-party complaint?
Not if you file it within 14 days of serving your own answer. After that window closes, Rule 14(a) requires you to get leave of court on a motion, with notice to all the parties already in the case.
What defenses can the third-party defendant raise?
The third-party defendant answers the third-party plaintiff's claim using Rule 12's defenses and Rule 13's counterclaim and crossclaim rules. It can also raise any defense the third-party plaintiff has against the original plaintiff, and it can bring its own claim against the plaintiff if that claim arises from the same transaction or occurrence as the plaintiff's claim against the third-party plaintiff.
Can a plaintiff use Rule 14 to bring in a new party?
Yes, but only in one situation: Rule 14(b) lets a plaintiff bring in a third party once a counterclaim has been asserted against the plaintiff, using the same procedure that lets a defendant do so under Rule 14(a).
Source & verification. Rule text, Advisory Committee Notes, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure,
adopted by the Utah Supreme Court. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: third party complaint utahimpleader utahthird-party practice utahbringing in a third party defendant utahutah rule 14