When an order is made in favor of a person who is not a party to the action, that person may enforce obedience to the order by the same process as a party. When obedience to an order may be lawfully enforced against a person who is not a party, that person is liable to the same process for enforcing obedience as a party.
Rule 71.Process in behalf of and against persons not parties
Part VIII: Provisional and Final Remedies and Special Proceedings · Last amended April 1, 2006 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 71 lets a court order benefit or bind a non-party in the same way it would a party, whenever that non-party stands to gain from the order or is the one being ordered to act.
Full Text of Rule 71
Amendment History
Renumbered from 71A and amended effective April 1, 2006.
Plain-English Summary
Court orders sometimes reach beyond the named parties. A person who is not a party to a lawsuit may still be the one an order is written to protect, and Rule 71 lets that person enforce the order using the same enforcement tools a party would use — no need to intervene in the case or file a separate action first. The reverse is also true: if an order can lawfully be enforced against someone who is not a party, that person faces the same enforcement process a party would face for disobeying it.
The rule works as a bridge, extending the enforcement machinery found elsewhere in these rules — things like contempt, writs of attachment, and writs of execution — to people who never formally joined the case but are nonetheless the intended beneficiary or target of a particular order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone who isn't a party to a lawsuit enforce a court order?
Yes, if the order was made in that person's favor. Rule 71 lets a non-party enforce obedience to such an order using the same process a party would use.
Can a non-party be forced to comply with a court order?
Yes. If an order can lawfully be enforced against a person who isn't a party — for example, someone holding property covered by the order — that person is subject to the same enforcement process as a party would face.
Does a non-party have to formally join the case to use Rule 71?
No. The rule lets a non-party who benefits from an order enforce it directly, without first becoming a party to the underlying action.
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: enforcing court order against non-party utahurcp 71non-party bound by court orderthird party benefits from court ordercontempt against a non-party