20.02 Separate trials

If you get pulled into a lawsuit alongside other people, but you don't have any claims against one of them, and they don't have any claims against you, the court can step in to protect you. The judge can issue orders to make sure you're not stuck dealing with extra hassle, delays, or costs just because you got lumped in with that person's case.

The court has a few tools to fix this. It can order separate trials, so your part of the case gets handled on its own instead of getting tangled up with issues that don't involve you. The judge can also make other orders as needed to keep things moving fairly and stop anyone from being unfairly harmed by how the case is organized.

Basically, this rule exists so that being grouped into a lawsuit with other parties doesn't cost you time, money, or fairness when the claims don't actually involve you.