Definition

1. Verb (transitive, legal):
   • To sue or bring a legal action against someone; to prosecute or initiate a lawsuit.
   • In legal procedure, specifically refers to bringing a third party into an existing lawsuit, typically to assert a claim or liability against that party.

Usage Examples

• (The plaintiff sued the subcontractor by bringing them into the ongoing case.)
• (A legal rule permits a defendant to sue an additional party into the case.)
• (The company was sued by the contractor as a third party in the lawsuit.)

Advanced Usage

• "to implead a third-party defendant": to add another party to a lawsuit who may share liability.

  • The defendant impleaded the insurance company to cover potential damages. (The defendant sued the insurance company into the case.)

• "impleader" (noun): the legal procedure or action of bringing a third party into a lawsuit.

  • The court granted the motion for impleader, allowing the new party to be added. (The court approved the procedure to bring in another defendant.)

Variants and Related Words

• Impleader (noun): the act or process of impleading.

  • The impleader was filed to join the manufacturer as a co-defendant.

• Impleaded (adjective): having been brought into a lawsuit as a third party.

  • The impleaded party must respond to the complaint within 21 days.

Synonyms

• Sue: to initiate legal proceedings against someone.
• Prosecute: to bring a criminal or civil action against someone.
• Indict: to formally accuse of a crime (more common in criminal law).

Antonyms

• Exonerate: to clear from accusation or liability.
• Release: to free from legal obligation or lawsuit.

Legal Context

• Impleading is most commonly used in civil procedure, especially under rules like Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 14, where a defendant brings a third party into the case for contribution or indemnity.
• The term is distinct from "implead" as a general synonym for "sue," though in modern legal usage it often carries the specific procedural meaning.