Rule 37 Joinder in Landlord and Tenant Cases

When a landlord takes a tenant to court to get back possession of a property, that case has to stand on its own. The landlord can't tack on other legal claims to the eviction case, and it has to be handled as its own separate matter.

The tenant being sued also has limits on what they can do in this type of case. They can't file a counterclaim against the landlord or bring in a third party to the lawsuit. However, the tenant is still allowed to defend themselves. They can raise any legitimate defense they have against the landlord's claim for possession.

This rule keeps eviction cases simple and fast. Landlord-tenant disputes about possession are meant to move quickly through the court, and allowing extra claims or counterclaims would slow things down and turn a straightforward case into a more complicated lawsuit. If either side has other legal issues to raise, like a dispute over money owed or damages, those need to be filed as a separate case.