Rucker, J.
Ball State University attempted to appeal a trial court order joining the University as a party-defendant to this post-dissolution action and compelling the University to release a student’s transcript. The Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal on grounds that this is not an appropriate interlocutory appeal and thus it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the action. We conclude this is an appeal of right under Indiana Appellate Rule 14(A)(3). Therefore we accept jurisdiction. On the merits, we reverse the judgment of the trial court.
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Responding to Mother’s motion to join Ball State as a supplemental defendant Ball State argued among other things that it “should not have to appear and defend this action or otherwise entangle itself in the domestic relations issues between the parties.” App. at 104. The trial court disagreed ruling that Ball State was an “indispensable remedy defendant” under the provisions of Indiana Trial Rule 19. App. at 121. The Rule provides in relevant part: “A person who is subject to service of process shall be joined as a party in the action if: . . . in his absence complete relief cannot be accorded among those already parties.” Ind. Trial R. 19(A).
This Court has not addressed the standard of review over a trial court’s decision to join parties under Trial Rule 19. Our Court of Appeals has previously considered this issue in Rollins Burdick Hunter of Utah, Inc. v. Bd. of Trustees of Ball State Univ., 665 N.E.2d 914 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996). After examining federal case authority discussing the analogous federal rule, the court determined an abuse of discretion standard is appropriate. This is because:
The rule governing joinder of parties does not set forth a rigid or mechanical formula for making the determination, but rather is designed to encourage courts to apprise themselves of the practical considerations of each individual case in view of the policies underlying the rule. Therefore, we employ a fact-sensitive, flexible analysis. The burden of proving that joinder is necessary rests with the party asserting it.
Id. at 920 (citations omitted). We now adopt this standard and its reasoning.
Here, Mother argues Ball State was a necessary party because she would not otherwise be entitled to complete relief on her petition to modify support which included payment from Father of “future college expenses” and payment “to Ball State of unpaid fees.” App. at 96. To be clear: the payment Mother was requesting was from Father. It was Mother’s burden to demonstrate that joinder of Ball State was necessary to resolve her claims. Mother does not contend Ball State was necessary to resolve the amount of unpaid fees owed to Ball State. Joinder then turns on whether Ball State was a necessary party to determine future education expenses. The record is devoid of any evidence that Mother attempted to obtain financial information from IUN or any other source before seeking to join Ball State in this action. There is also nothing in the record before us suggesting that without Ball State as a party, Mother would be unable to provide the trial court information relating to future college expenses at IUN or any other institution for that matter. “Neither the rules of trial procedure nor the dissolution of marriage statutes are so broad as to require third parties to be dragged into marriage dissolution proceedings by their heels and there compelled to litigate issues that are but tangential to that cause of action.” State ex rel. Stanton v. Super. Ct. Lake Cnty., 355 N.E.2d 406, 408 (Ind. 1976). Mother has not carried her burden in demonstrating that Ball State was a necessary party under Trial Rule 19. The trial court thus abused its discretion in granting Mother’s motion for joinder.
Conclusion
We reverse the trial court’s order granting Mother’s Motion to Join Supplemental Defendant and Order Release of Transcript. We remand this cause with instructions to the trial court to enter an appropriate order dismissing Ball State University from this action.
Rush, C.J., and Dickson, David and Massa, JJ., concur.