Opinion ID: 770390
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Legal Standard for Intervention.

Text: 15 With their motion, the appellants sought to intervene both as of right and permissively, invoking Fed. R. Civ. P. 24(a & b). 4 Regarding intervention of right, we have interpreted Rule 24(a) as establishing four elements, each of which must be satisfied before intervention as of right will be granted: (1) timeliness of the application to intervene, (2) the applicant's substantial legal interest in the case, (3) impairment of the applicant's ability to protect that interest in the absence of intervention, and (4) inadequate representation of that interest by parties already before the court. Michigan State AFL-CIO v. Miller, 103 F.3d 1240, 1245 (6th Cir. 1997); see Grutter v. Bollinger, 188 F.3d 394, 397-98 (6th Cir. 1999) (same). Failure to meet [any] one of the [four] criteria will require that the motion to intervene be denied. Grubbs v. Norris, 870 F.2d 343, 345 (6th Cir.1989). We review a district court's decision regarding timeliness (the first element) for abuse of discretion; the remaining three elements are reviewed de novo. Grutter, 188 F.3d at 398. 16 Regarding permissive intervention, so long as the motion for intervention is timely and there is at least one common question of law or fact, the balancing of undue delay, prejudice to the original parties, and any other relevant factors is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Miller, 103 F.3d at 1240. Given that our review of permissive intervention is for abuse of discretion, while our review of intervention as of right (except as to the timeliness element) is de novo, we may conclude that a denial of intervention as of right was error, but a denial of permissive intervention was not. Grutter, 188 F.3d at 401. 17 Rule 24 should be broadly construed in favor of potential intervenors. Purnell v. Akron, 925 F.2d 941, 950 (6th Cir. 1991). Indeed, in discussing the fourth element of intervention as of right, we have recently gone so far as to say that proposed intervenors need only show that there is a potential for inadequate representation. Grutter, 188 F.3d at 400 (emphasis in original). But this does not mean that Rule 24 poses no barrier to intervention at all. We have affirmed the denial of motions to intervene permissively and as of right, for various reasons. E.g., Jordan v. Michigan Conf. of Teamsters Welfare Fund, 207 F.3d 854, 863 (6th Cir. 2000) (affirming denial of a motion to intervene as of right, because the motion was untimely and the proposed intervenor's interests were adequately represented); Bradley v. Milliken, 828 F.2d 1186, 1194 (6th Cir. 1987) (affirming denial of motions to intervene permissively and as of right, in part because the district court has already taken steps to protect the proposed intervenors' interests by inviting [their counsel] to appear as amicus curiae in the case). 18