Rule 1.913 Consolidation

When separate lawsuits share similar facts or legal questions, the court can combine them into one case. This is called consolidation. The court can also decide to hold just one trial to settle some or all of the issues involved, instead of running separate trials for each case.

The court will only do this if it does not unfairly harm one of the parties involved. If someone can show that combining the cases would hurt their side of the case, the court will not consolidate them.

The main goal of this rule is to save time and money. When cases involve the same basic facts or legal issues, it often makes more sense to handle them together rather than repeating the same work in separate trials. The court has the power to set rules for how these combined cases move forward, all aimed at cutting down on extra costs and delays for everyone involved.