FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT OCTOB ER 2, 2006 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

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e n d a n t- A p p e lle e , v ersu s D A V I D A D E L , D A N I E L A D E L , D e f e n d a n ts - C o u n te r - C la im a n ts - A p p e lla n ts .

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe N or the rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

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B efo re T JO F L A T , B L A C K an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: D a v id a n d D a n ie l A d e l ap p e a l th e g r a n t o f p r e lim in a ry in

ju n c tio n in th is ac t i on agai nstthem for m i sapp ropri at i on of tra de se cr et s and enforce m entof a co v en an tn o tt o co m p et e. V ari ab l e A n n u i ty L i fe In su ran ce C o m p an y, th e A d el s’ f orm e re m pl oy e r , f

i l e d ac om pl a i nta ga i ns tthe A de l s w i th j ur i s di c t i on ba s e d on di ve r s i ty of

c i t i z e ns hi p. 28 U . S . C . § 1332. B e c aus e w e a r e unabl e t o de t e rm i ne w he the rthe pa rt i e s t o thi s c a s e a r e i n f a c tof di ve r s e c i t i z e ns hi p, w e r e m a nd the ap p e a l to th e d is tr ic t c o u rt to d e te rm in e if ju r is d ic tio n e x is ts . Al th o u g h n o p a rty t o th i s ap p e a l h a s r a i s e d th e q u e s t i o n o f j u r i s d i c t i o n , “ we ar e r equi re d, even sua s po nt e, t o i ni t i at e an i nq ui ryi nt o o ur subj ec t -m att er j ur i s di c t i on w he ne ve rw e be c om e c onc e rne d tha ti tm a y note xi s t . ” G i l c hr i s tv. S ta te F a rm M u t. A u to . I n s . C o ., 3 9 0 F .3 d 1 3 2 7 , 1 3 3 0 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) . I n as u it b as ed o n d iv er sity o f c it izen sh ip , th e p lain ti ff is re q u ired to alleg e e ac h p ar ty’s c i t i z e n s h i p , a n d th e a l l e g a t i o n s mu s ts h o w th a tth e p a r t i e s a r e d i v e r s e . A m. M ot ori st s I ns. C o. v. A m . E m pl oyer s’ Ins. C o. , 60 0 F . 2d 15 , 16 (5th C i r. 19 79 ). In i t s c om pl a i nt , V A L I C a l l e ge d tha ti ti s ac orpor a t i on “ or ga ni z e d pur s ua ntt o the l a w s of T e xa s a nd qua l i f

i e d t o do bus i ne s s i n the S t a t e of F l or i da ” a nd tha tthe A d e ls a r e r e s id e n ts o f

F lo r id a . V A L I C d id n o t a lle g e ap r in c ip a l p la c e o f b u s in e s s .3

B e c aus e f

orpurpos e s of

di ve r s i ty j ur i s di c t i on, “ ac orpor a t i on s ha l l be de e m e d t o be ac itiz e n o f

a n y S ta te b y w h ic h it h a s b e e n in c o rp o r a te d a n d o f th e S ta te w h e r e it ha s i t s pr i nc i pa l pl a c e of bus i ne s s , ” 28 U . S . C . § 1332( c ) ( 1) , w e c a nnotde t e rm i ne w hether the part i es ar e di vers e. W e r em and thi s c as e t o the di stri ctcourt , there fore , t o de t e rm i ne i f

j ur i s di c t i on e xi s t s . O n r e m a nd, the di s tr i c tc our t“ c a n do thi s by gi vi ng the pl a i nt i f

f s a n opportuni ty t o a m e nd the i rde f e c t i ve pl e a di ngs . S e e 28 U . S . C . § 1653. O f

c our s e , i f

the a m e ndm e nt s s how tha tthe r e i s no di ve r s i ty of c i t i z e ns hi p, the di s tr i c tc ourtm us tdi s m i s s the a c t i on. ” A m . M ot or i s t s I ns . , 600 F .2 d a t 1 6 . R E M A N D E D .