Justia Summary
Samuel served as legal advisor to his mother Ethlyn. After falling out with Samuel, Ethlyn transferred her property into a trust and designated her daughter, Elsa, as her successor trustee. Ethlyn sued Samuel and his law firm over the handling of her affairs (trust case). When Ethlyn died, Elsa took Ethlyn’s place as trustee and as plaintiff. Samuel filed a separate complaint against Elsa in her individual capacity. The district court consolidated the cases under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a) and held a single trial. In the individual case, the jury returned a verdict for Samuel. The court granted Elsa a new trial. In the trust case, the jury returned a verdict against Elsa. The Third Circuit dismissed her appeal, finding the judgment not final because the individual claims against Elsa remained unresolved. A unanimous Supreme Court reversed. When one of several cases consolidated under Rule 42(a) is finally decided, that decision confers the immediate right to appeal, regardless of whether other consolidated cases remain pending. Under the consolidation statute, the predecessor of Rule 42(a), consolidation was understood not as completely merging the constituent cases into one, but as enabling more efficient case management while preserving the distinct identities of the cases and rights of the separate parties. Rule 42(a) was expressly modeled on that statute. The Court stated that its decision does not mean that district courts may not consolidate cases for all purposes in appropriate circumstances.