In NC civil procedure, intervention is a procedural mechanism that allows:

• A. A method for a party to remove the case to federal court.
• B. A procedure by which a nonparty may become a party to the action if they have an interest in the subject matter.
• C. A mechanism to assign the case to a jury.
• D. A procedure to consolidate multiple cases.

Answer: (B)

Intervention in NC civil procedure lets a nonparty with a legally protectable interest in the subject matter or in the outcome of the case enter the action as a party so that that interest can be litigated and protected within the ongoing suit. There are two paths: intervention as of right, when the nonparty’s interests could be harmed and are not adequately represented by current parties, and permissive intervention, when the court grants leave to intervene because the intervenor’s claim or defense shares questions of law or fact with the main action and it’s timely. The core idea is that someone who isn’t initially a party but who has a stake in how the case turns out can participate directly to protect that stake.

Removing the case to federal court, assigning the case to a jury, or consolidating multiple cases involve different procedural tools—removal to federal court, trial by jury, and Rule 42 consolidation, respectively—not about adding a nonparty as a party to the action.