California · Through 2026-09-13

CCP § 428.70

(a) As used in this section:
(1) “Third-party plaintiff” means a person against whom a cause of action has been asserted in a complaint or cross-complaint, who claims the right to recover all or part of any amounts for which he may be held liable on such cause of action from a third person, and who files a cross-complaint stating such claim as a cause of action against the third person.
(2) “Third-party defendant” means the person who is alleged in a cross-complaint filed by a third-party plaintiff to be liable to the third-party plaintiff if the third-party plaintiff is held liable on the claim against him.
(b) In addition to the other rights and duties a third-party defendant has under this article, he may, at the time he files his answer to the cross-complaint, file as a separate document a special answer alleging against the person who asserted the cause of action against the third-party plaintiff any defenses which the third-party plaintiff has to such cause of action. The special answer shall be served on the third-party plaintiff and on the person who asserted the cause of action against the third-party plaintiff.

Where this section sits in the code

Code of Civil Procedure - CCP
PART 2. OF CIVIL ACTIONS [307. - 1062.34.]
TITLE 6. OF THE PLEADINGS IN CIVIL ACTIONS [420. - 475.]
CHAPTER 2. Pleadings Demanding Relief [425.10. - 429.30.]
ARTICLE 4. Cross-Complaints [428.10. - 428.80.]

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Third-party plaintiff” means a person against whom a cause of action has been asserted in a complaint or cross-complaint, who claims the right to recover all or part of any amounts for which he may be held liable on such cause of action from a third person, and who files a cross-complaint stating such claim as a cause of action against the third person.

(2) “Third-party defendant” means the person who is alleged in a cross-complaint filed by a third-party plaintiff to be liable to the third-party plaintiff if the third-party plaintiff is held liable on the claim against him.

(b) In addition to the other rights and duties a third-party defendant has under this article, he may, at the time he files his answer to the cross-complaint, file as a separate document a special answer alleging against the person who asserted the cause of action against the third-party plaintiff any defenses which the third-party plaintiff has to such cause of action. The special answer shall be served on the third-party plaintiff and on the person who asserted the cause of action against the third-party plaintiff.

Collected 2026-09-14T05:56:33Z. Source file · JSON

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