Rule 71 Process on Behalf of and Against Persons

Sometimes a court order affects people who are not officially part of a lawsuit. This rule explains how those situations work.

If a court order benefits someone who is not part of the case, that person can still use the court to make others follow the order. They have the same power to enforce it as someone who was an actual party in the lawsuit.

The rule also works the other way. If a court order requires someone who is not part of the case to do something, the court can hold that person accountable in the same way it would hold an actual party accountable. Being outside the lawsuit does not protect someone from having to follow a court order that legally applies to them.