Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-2_16-cv-00742/USCOURTS-almd-2_16-cv-00742-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 220
Nature of Suit: Foreclosure
Cause of Action: 12:1452 Federa Home Loan Mortgage Corporation

---

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, NORTHERN DIVISION

FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE 

CORPORATION,

)

)

)

Plaintiff and

Counter-Defendant,

)

)

) CIVIL ACTION NO.

 v. ) 2:16cv742-MHT

) (WO)

ANTHONY THOMAS, )

)

Defendant and

Counter-Claimant,

)

)

)

 v. )

)

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., )

)

 Counter-Defendant. )

 

OPINION AND ORDER

This matter is before the court on defendant

Anthony Thomas’s motion to add Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 

as a party. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 14(h) 

provides for joinder of additional parties to a 

crossclaim or counterclaim, by application of the 

required and permissive joinder rules. See Fed. R. 

Civ. P. 19 & 20. Defendant filed a document labelled 

“Third Party Crossclaims” (doc. no. 1-4) setting forth 

Case 2:16-cv-00742-MHT-WC Document 23 Filed 02/13/17 Page 1 of 4
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his claims against Wells Fargo, and Wells Fargo filed 

an answer to the document without objecting to its 

joinder as a party. Furthermore, counsel for plaintiff

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and Wells Fargo 

has confirmed verbally that they do not oppose the 

motion. Therefore, the court assumes that joinder is 

permissible under the rules, and will grant the motion 

the motion to add Wells Fargo as a party. 

However, the court will add Wells Fargo as a 

counter-defendant, not a cross-defendant. While 

defendant labelled the claims against Wells Fargo as

‘third party crossclaims,’ defendant’s claims against 

Wells Fargo are not crossclaims under the Federal Rules 

of Civil Procedure.* See 6 Fed. Prac. & Proc. Civ. 

§ 1431 (3d ed.) (“Clearly, a crossclaim may not be 

 

* It is not clear to the court whether any of these 

claims are properly called ‘third-party’ claims under 

the Federal Rules, or whether such a designation would

have any impact on the case. The Federal Rules of 

Civil Procedure define third-party claims as those 

brought by a defendant “on a nonparty who is or may be 

liable to it for all or part of the claim against it.” 

Fed. R. Civ. P. 14(a)(1). In any case, the parties are 

free to argue in an objection that the claims against 

Wells Fargo should be considered third-party claims.

Case 2:16-cv-00742-MHT-WC Document 23 Filed 02/13/17 Page 2 of 4
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asserted against a party on the opposite side of the 

action.[] A claim of this type is a counterclaim and is 

governed by Rule 13(a) or Rule 13(b) depending on 

whether it is compulsory or permissive.[]” (footnotes 

omitted)). Furthermore, with one exception, 

defendant’s claims against Wells Fargo are the same as 

his counterclaims against plaintiff.† Accordingly, the 

court will refer to defendant’s claims against Wells 

Fargo as counterclaims.

***

Accordingly, it is ORDERED that:

(1) The motion to add Wells Fargo (doc. no. 1-3) is 

granted.

(2) Wells Fargo is added as a counter-defendant. 

 † One of defendant’s claims--wrongful

foreclosure--was brought against Wells Fargo but not

plaintiff. However, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 

18(a) provides that a “party asserting a claim, 

counterclaim, crossclaim, or third-party claim may 

join, as independent or alternative claims, as many 

claims as it has against an opposing party.” The court 

views the wrongful-disclosure claim as properly joined 

pursuant to this rule.

Case 2:16-cv-00742-MHT-WC Document 23 Filed 02/13/17 Page 3 of 4
(3) Should the parties disagree with the 

designation of Wells Fargo as a counter-defendant, they 

must object within seven days of the date of this 

order.

DONE, this the 13th day of February, 2017.

 /s/ Myron H. Thompson 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 2:16-cv-00742-MHT-WC Document 23 Filed 02/13/17 Page 4 of 4