Opinion ID: 770968
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Valdez v. Shell Oil Co. (Valdez)

Text: 13 The plaintiffs in Valdez are more than 6,000 citizens of eight foreign countries who filed suit originally in Morris County, Texas. 16 More than thirty days after answering, Defendant Dow filed a third-party petition against the Del Monte entities, Dead Sea, and Ameribrom and delivered a courtesy copy of that petition to Dead Sea. Dead Sea removed the case to the Eastern District of Texas. The other defendants joined in the removal, asserting additional bases of federal subject matter jurisdiction, and filed cross-claims against Dead Sea. Shell filed supplemental notices of removal. The district court consolidated Valdez with Isae. 14 Subsequent to removal, Dow moved for leave to serve an amended third-party complaint to implead, inter alia, Dead Sea. 17 The magistrate judge assigned to the Valdez case granted the motion and also denied remand in both Valdez and Isae, concluding that federal subject matter jurisdiction existed in the two cases. Thereafter, Valdez and Isae were transferred to the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, where they were consolidated with the other four cases.