term:

Impleader

impleader n

: the act or procedural device of impleading a third party
;specif
: a petition or complaint brought in a lawsuit by a plaintiff or defendant against a third party who may be liable to that plaintiff or defendant called also third-party practice compare counterclaim, cross-claim, interpleader, intervention, joinder

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.