Rule 42. Consolidation; separate trials; venue transfer.

(a) Consolidation. When actions involving a common question of law or fact or arising from the same transaction or occurrence are pending before the court in one or more judicial districts, the court may, on motion of any party or on the court’s own initiative: order that the actions are consolidated in whole or in part for any purpose, including for discovery, other pretrial matters, or a joint hearing or trial; stay any or all of the proceedings in any action subject to the order; transfer any or all further proceedings in the actions to a location in which any of the actions is pending after consulting with the presiding judge of the transferee court; and make other such orders concerning proceedings therein as may tend to avoid unnecessary costs or delay.

(1) In determining whether to order consolidation and the appropriate location for the consolidated proceedings, the court may consider, among other factors: the complexity of the actions; the importance of any common question of fact or law to the determination of the actions; the risk of duplicative or inconsistent rulings, orders, or judgments; the relative procedural postures of the actions; the risk that consolidation may unreasonably delay the progress, increase the expense, or complicate the processing of any action; prejudice to any party that far outweighs the overall benefits of consolidation; the convenience of the parties, witnesses, and counsel; and the efficient utilization of judicial resources and the facilities and personnel of the court.

(2) A motion to consolidate may be filed or opposed by any party. The motion must be filed in and heard by the judge assigned to the first action filed and must be served on all parties in each action pursuant to Rule 5. A notice of the motion must be filed in each action. The movant must, and any party may, file in each action notice of the order denying or granting the motion.

(3) If the court orders consolidation, a new case number will be used for all subsequent filings in the consolidated case. The court may direct that specified parties pay the expenses, if any, of consolidation. The presiding judge of the transferee court may assign the consolidated case to another judge for good cause.

(b) Separate trials. The court in furtherance of convenience or to avoid prejudice may order a separate trial of any claim, cross claim, counterclaim, or third party claim, or of any separate issue or of any number of claims, cross claims, counterclaims, third party claims, or issues.

(c) Venue Transfer.

(1) On timely motion of any party, where transfer to a proper venue is available, the court must transfer any action filed in an improper venue.

(2) The court must give substantial deference to a plaintiff’s choice of a proper venue. On timely motion of any party, a court may: transfer venue of any action, in whole or in part, to any other venue for any purpose, including for discovery, other pretrial matters, or a joint hearing or trial; stay any or all of the proceedings in the action; and make other such orders concerning proceedings therein to pursue the interests of justice and avoid unnecessary costs or delay. In determining whether to transfer venue and the appropriate venue for the transferred proceedings, the court may consider, among other factors, whether transfer will: increase the likelihood of a fair and impartial determination in the action; minimize expense or inconvenience to parties, witnesses, or the court; decrease delay; avoid hardship or injustice otherwise caused by venue requirements; and advance the interests of justice.

(3) The court may direct that specified parties pay the expenses, if any, of transfer.

Advisory Committee Notes

Note adopted 2020

The addition of paragraph (c) arose in part from the Supreme Court’s decision in Davis County v. Purdue Pharma, L.P, 2020 UT 17.

Effective January 1, 2020.