Last amended March 23, 2007 · Last verified June 30, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2256 restricts counterclaims in additional-defendant practice: an original defendant whose counterclaim against the plaintiff is not founded on the original transaction may not join an additional defendant, and an additional defendant may not assert an unrelated counterclaim.
(a)An original defendant who asserts against the plaintiff a counterclaim not founded upon the transaction, occurrence or series of transactions or occurrences out of which the original cause of action arose may not join an additional defendant.
(b)An additional defendant may not assert a counterclaim which is not founded upon the transaction, occurrence or series of transactions or occurrences out of which the original cause of action arose.
Additional-defendant practice can generate counterclaims, and this rule sorts them. It bars an original defendant who asserts against the plaintiff a counterclaim not founded upon the transaction or occurrence underlying the plaintiff's claim from joining an additional defendant, and bars an additional defendant from asserting such an unrelated counterclaim at all — keeping the pleadings orderly as parties multiply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a defendant counterclaim against the plaintiff in additional-defendant practice?
Yes, but at a cost. An original defendant who counterclaims on a transaction unrelated to the plaintiff's claim may not join an additional defendant, and an additional defendant may not assert an unrelated counterclaim at all.
Amendment History
The provisions of this Rule 2256 amended March 23, 2007, effective June 1, 2007, 37 Pa.B. 1480. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (309379).
Source & verification. Rule text, the Official Note, and the amendment
history are reproduced verbatim from the Pennsylvania Code, Title 231, the official compilation
of rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Last verified June 30, 2026. ·
Official text
Also known as:counterclaims additional defendantsdefendant counterclaim plaintiffadditional defendant counterclaim