Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-3_11-cv-00919/USCOURTS-almd-3_11-cv-00919-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 365
Nature of Suit: Personal Injury - Product Liability
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Wrongful Death

---

1. In Bonner v. Prichard, 661 F.2d 1206, 1209 (11th

Cir. 1981) (en banc), the Eleventh Circuit Court of

Appeals adopted as binding precedent all of the decisions

of the former Fifth Circuit handed down prior to the

close of business on September 30, 1981.

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, EASTERN DIVISION

ERIC LEE KELLEY, )

Administrator of the Estate )

of Melinda Jo Williams, )

Deceased, )

)

Plaintiff, )

) CIVIL ACTION NO.

v. ) 3:11cv919-MHT

) (WO) 

U-HAUL INTERNATIONAL, INC., )

a Corporation; et al., )

)

Defendants. )

ORDER

The allegations of the plaintiff's complaint are

insufficient to invoke this court's jurisdiction under 28

U.S.C. § 1332. To invoke jurisdiction based on diversity,

a complaint must distinctly and affirmatively allege each

party's citizenship. McGovern v. American Airlines, Inc.,

511 F. 2d 653, 654 (5th Cir. 1975) (per curiam).1

 

To begin, 28 U.S.C. § 1332(c) provides that a

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2. While Sovran Holdings, Inc. bears an “Inc.” in

its name, (indicating it is a corporation), the complaint

refers to it as a “limited partnership.” It is therefore

unclear what type of entity Sovran Holdings, Inc. really

is.

2

corporation shall be deemed a citizen, first, of all

States by which it has been incorporated and, second, of

the State where it has its principal place of business.

To invoke jurisdiction based on diversity in a case in

which a corporation is a party, it is thus necessary to

allege distinctly and affirmatively all the States by

which the corporation has been incorporated and the State

in which the corporation has its principal place of

business. American Motorists Ins. Co. v. American

Employers' Ins. Co., 600 F.2d 15, 16 and n.1 (5th Cir.

1979) (per curiam). The plaintiff's complaint fails to

allege sufficiently the citizenship of corporate defendant

U-Haul International, Inc.

The complaint is also insufficient because it does not

indicate the citizenship of defendants Eberly

Transportation, David Walker, and Sovran Holdings, Inc.2

If the entity is a corporation, then, as stated, the

Case 3:11-cv-00919-MHT-TFM Document 9 Filed 11/17/11 Page 2 of 4
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complaint must allege the citizenship of both the State of

incorporation and where the corporation has its principal

place of business. 28 U.S.C. § 1332(c)(2). If the entity

is a partnership, the complaint must indicate the

citizenship of the individual partners, both general and

limited. Carden v. Arkoma Associates, 494 U.S. 185 (1990).

If the entity is an unincorporated association, the

complaint must indicate the citizenship of each and every

one of its members. Xaros v. U.S. Fidelity and Guar. Co.,

820 F.2d 1176, 1181 (11th Cir. 1987). If the entity is a

limited liability company, the complaint must allege “[t]he

citizenships of all members of the limited liability

company.” Rolling Greens MHP, L.P. v. Comcast SCH Holdings

L.L.C., 374 F.3d 1020, 1022 (11 Cir. 2004). (And if the

entity consists of several entities, the complaint must

reflect the citizenship, or citizenships, of each and every

entity based on the nature of that entity.)

Finally, the plaintiff has sued defendant Katherine

Miller in her capacity as personal representative for the

estate of a decedent. "[T]he legal representative of the

Case 3:11-cv-00919-MHT-TFM Document 9 Filed 11/17/11 Page 3 of 4
estate of a decedent shall be deemed to be a citizen only

of the same State as the decedent." 28 U.S.C.

§ 1332(c)(2). Because the complaint does not set forth the

citizenship of the decedent, the complaint does not

adequately establish the ground for this court to assume

jurisdiction of this matter.

***

It is therefore the ORDER, JUDGMENT, and DECREE of the

court that the plaintiff has until November 28, 2011, to

amend the complaint to allege jurisdiction sufficiently;

otherwise this lawsuit shall be dismissed without

prejudice.

DONE, this the 17th day of November, 2011.

 /s/ Myron H. Thompson 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 3:11-cv-00919-MHT-TFM Document 9 Filed 11/17/11 Page 4 of 4