Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-3_06-cv-00900/USCOURTS-almd-3_06-cv-00900-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 350
Nature of Suit: Motor Vehicle Personal Injury
Cause of Action: 23:134 P.I.- Auto Negligence

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IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, EASTERN DIVISION

WILLIAM TIDWELL, )

)

Plaintiff, )

) CIVIL ACTION NO.

v. ) 3:06cv900-MHT

) (WO) 

LORI ANN MORRIS, )

Administratrix of the )

Estate of Vernell Brown )

Morris, deceased, et al., )

)

Defendants. )

OPINION AND ORDER

This cause, which was removed from state court to

federal court based on diversity-of-citizenship

jurisdiction, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1332, 1441, is now before the

court on a motion to remand filed by the plaintiff. The

plaintiff contends that the amount in controversy in this

lawsuit is not high enough to confer diversity

jurisdiction. The court agrees. First of all, the

defendants have failed to “prove to a legal certainty”

that the plaintiff’s claims exceed $ 75,000. Burns v.

Windsor Ins. Co., 31 F.3d 1092, 1095 (11th Cir. 1994).

That is, the court cannot conclude that the plaintiff is

Case 3:06-cv-00900-MHT-DRB Document 14 Filed 11/01/06 Page 1 of 2
“falsely assessing the case or is incompetently doing

so,” id., and that “an award below the jurisdictional

amount would be outside the range of permissible awards.”

Id. at 1096. Second, although the plaintiff’s complaint

asserts multiple counts, the damages sought on each count

cannot be aggregated.

Accordingly, because this court lacks subject-matter

jurisdiction, it is the ORDER, JUDGMENT, and DECREE of

the court that the plaintiff’s motion to remand (Doc. No.

6) is granted, and that, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1447(c),

this cause is remanded to the Circuit Court of Macon

County, Alabama.

The clerk of the court is DIRECTED to take

appropriate steps to effect the remand.

DONE, this the 1st day of November, 2006.

 /s/ Myron H. Thompson 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 3:06-cv-00900-MHT-DRB Document 14 Filed 11/01/06 Page 2 of 2