Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-1_15-cv-00279/USCOURTS-almd-1_15-cv-00279-0/pdf.json

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

---

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, SOUTHERN DIVISION 

RICHARD WARREN McCUISTIAN 

as Administrator for the 

Estate of Anne Mccuistian,

Deceased, 

)

) 

) 

) 

)

 Plaintiff, )

) CIVIL ACTION NO.

 v. ) 1:15cv279-MHT 

) (WO) 

LG ELECTRONICS U.S.A., 

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 

Case 1:15-cv-00279-JA-GMB Document 10 Filed 05/18/15 Page 1 of 3
2 

(5th Cir. 1975) (per curiam).* The complaint suffers 

from two deficiencies in this regard. 

 First, the plaintiff has sued in his capacity as 

personal representative for the estate of the decedent. 

"[T]he legal representative of the 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 sets forth only the citizenship of the 

personal representative and not that of the decedent, 

the complaint does not adequately establish the ground 

for this court to assume jurisdiction of this matter. 

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

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 

 

 * 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. 

Case 1:15-cv-00279-JA-GMB Document 10 Filed 05/18/15 Page 2 of 3
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 defendants because it does not 

allege each defendant’s principal place of business. 

*** 

 It is therefore the ORDER, JUDGMENT, and DECREE of 

the court that the plaintiff has until June 1, 2015, to 

amend the complaint to allege § 1332 jurisdiction 

sufficiently, see 28 U.S.C. § 1653; otherwise, this 

cause shall be dismissed without prejudice. 

DONE, this the 18th day of May, 2015.

 /s/ Myron H. Thompson 

 UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 

Case 1:15-cv-00279-JA-GMB Document 10 Filed 05/18/15 Page 3 of 3