A plaintiff may implead a third-party defendant if?

• A. Within 14 days after serving the answer
• B. Within 30 days after filing the complaint
• C. Only after discovery ends
• D. Only with leave of court

Answer: (A)

Impleader is governed by Rule 14. A defending party may bring in a third party who may be liable to the defendant for all or part of the plaintiff’s claim by filing a third-party complaint. The crucial timing is that this may be done within 14 days after the defendant serves their answer to the plaintiff’s complaint, and no court permission is needed within that window. If the window has closed, impleader may still be allowed, but only with leave of court on motion, showing good cause.

This is why the correct statement is that impleader can occur within 14 days after serving the answer. The other timings aren’t correct: you don’t have a blanket 30-day window after filing the complaint, discovery timing isn’t the controlling factor, and while you can seek court leave to implead after the initial period, you don’t have to wait for leave within the 14-day window.