CPLR § 601

Joinder of claims · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 601. Joinder of claims. (a) The plaintiff in a complaint or the defendant in an answer setting forth a counterclaim or cross-claim may join as many claims as he may have against an adverse party. There may be like joinder of claims when there are multiple parties.

(b) Two or more plaintiffs may join no more than five claims in any one action or proceeding against the same defendant arising out of separate consumer credit transactions, provided that the plaintiffs are represented by the same attorney.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CVP/601

In plain English

This rule lets parties combine claims against an opposing party in one case.

(a) Plaintiffs and defendants may join as many claims as they have against an adverse party, including when several parties are involved. ★
(b) Two or more plaintiffs represented by the same lawyer may join no more than 5 claims against the same defendant when the claims arise from separate consumer-credit transactions. ★

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 1 — The Court Clerk in Plain English; Volume 2 — The Court Clerk: Civil Practice Law and Rules; Volume 1 — Your Career: Civil Practice in Plain English.