Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-1_06-cv-00849/USCOURTS-almd-1_06-cv-00849-0/pdf.json

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

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IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, SOUTHERN DIVISION

DONNA HARRELL and )

MACK HARRELL, )

)

Plaintiffs, )

) CIVIL ACTION NO.

v. ) 1:06cv849-MHT

) (WO) 

MERCK & CO., INC., a )

foreign corporation, )

et al., )

)

Defendants. )

ORDER

This lawsuit, which was removed from state to federal

court based on diversity-of-citizenship jurisdiction, 28

U.S.C. §§ 1332, 1441, is now before the court on

plaintiffs’ motion to remand. The court agrees with

plaintiffs that this case should be remanded to state

court. First, there has not been fraudulent joinder of

any resident defendant (that is, plaintiffs have

colorable claims against such a defendant), see Coker v.

Case 1:06-cv-00849-MHT-DRB Document 27 Filed 10/18/06 Page 1 of 3
2

Amoco Oil Co., 709 F.2d 1433, 1440 (11th Cir. 1983);

Cabalceta v. Standard Fruit Co., 883 F.2d 1553, 1561

(11th Cir. 1989). Second, there has not been fraudulent

misjoinder of any resident defendant (that is, plaintiffs

have reasonably joined such a defendant with other

defendants pursuant to Rule 20 of the Federal Rules of

Civil Procedure), see Tapscott v. MS Dealer Service

Corp., 77 F.3d 1353, 1360 (11th Cir. 1996).

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

the court that plaintiffs’ motion to remand (doc. no. 13)

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

this cause is remanded to the Circuit Court of Houston

County, Alabama, for want of subject-matter jurisdiction.

It is further ORDERED that the motion to stay (Doc.

No. 10) is denied.

It is further ORDERED that all other outstanding

motions are left for disposition by the state court after

remand.

Case 1:06-cv-00849-MHT-DRB Document 27 Filed 10/18/06 Page 2 of 3
The clerk of the court is DIRECTED to take

appropriate steps to effect the remand.

DONE, this the 18th day of October, 2006.

 /s/ Myron H. Thompson 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 1:06-cv-00849-MHT-DRB Document 27 Filed 10/18/06 Page 3 of 3