Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_12-cv-02589/USCOURTS-azd-2_12-cv-02589-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 140
Nature of Suit: Negotiable Instruments
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal- Negotiable Instrument

---

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26 1

 The parties are advised that LRCiv 7.1(a)(3) forbids the complete

capitalization of a party’s name in the caption of any document filed with the Court

WO

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Brentwood Scottsdale, LLC,

 Plaintiff,

vs.

David James Smith,

 Defendant.

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

No. CV-12-02589-PHX-PGR

 

 ORDER

 

The defendant removed this action on December 5, 2012 solely on the basis

of diversity of citizenship jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332. Having reviewed

the Notice of Removal to determine if subject matter jurisdiction exists in this Court,

the Court finds that the defendant has not met his jurisdictional pleading burden

because the Notice of Removal fails to affirmatively set forth the facts necessary for

the Court to determine the citizenship of the plaintiff. In order to cure this

jurisdictional deficiency, the Court will require the defendant to file an amended

notice of removal that properly and affirmatively alleges the citizenship of all named

parties to this action.1 See 28 U.S.C. § 1653. The defendant is advised that his

Case 2:12-cv-02589-PGR Document 10 Filed 12/20/12 Page 1 of 3
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

unless that party’s name is normally completely capitalized.

2

 Since only a corporation or an individual may be a citizen for purposes of

§ 1332 jurisdiction, the amended notice of removal must set forth any sublayers of

partners or members that the plaintiff may have.

- 2 -

failure to timely comply with this Order will result in the remand of this action for lack

of subject matter jurisdiction. 

The Notice of Removal is facially deficient because the defendant’s assertion

that the plaintiff is a citizen of Arizona is based only on his allegation that the plaintiff

is “an Arizona limited liability company authorized to do business in Maricopa

County, Arizona.” This allegation is insufficient as a matter of law because the

citizenship of a limited liability company for purposes of § 1332 is the citizenship of

each of its members. Johnson v. Columbia Properties Anchorage, LP, 437 F.3d 894,

899 (9th Cir. 2006) ("Notwithstanding LLCs' corporate traits, ... every circuit that has

addressed the question treats them like partnerships for the purposes of diversity

jurisdiction. ... We therefore join our sister circuits and hold that, like a partnership,

an LLC is a citizen of every state of which its owners/members are citizens.") Since

nothing is alleged in the Notice of Removal concerning the citizenship of the

plaintiff’s members, the Court will require the defendant to specifically identity each

member of the plaintiff by name, specifically allege the type of business entity that

any non-individual member is, and affirmatively allege the state of citizenship of each

member.2

 

IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the defendant shall file an amended

/ / /

/ / /

/ / /

Case 2:12-cv-02589-PGR Document 10 Filed 12/20/12 Page 2 of 3
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

- 3 -

notice of removal in compliance with this Order no later than December 31, 2012.

DATED this 19th day of December, 2012.

Case 2:12-cv-02589-PGR Document 10 Filed 12/20/12 Page 3 of 3