Opinion ID: 3217049
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: Before we examine the merits of this case, we must first consider whether we have subject-matter jurisdiction. This case comes before us as an appeal from a final decision of the District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. See 28 8 Case: 15-12996 Date Filed: 06/24/2016 Page: 9 of 20 U.S.C. § 1291. The district court exercised diversity jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(1). A district court may exercise diversity jurisdiction only if there is complete diversity between the parties, that is, no two adverse parties are citizens of the same state. See Owen Equip. & Erection Co. v. Kroger, 437 U.S. 365, 373 (1978). A corporation is a citizen of any state in which it is incorporated and of the state “where it has its principal place of business.” 28 U.S.C. § 1332(c)(1). The parties agree that FDB is a Missouri corporation with its principal place of business in California, but they disagree as to whether Ranbaxy, a Delaware corporation, has its principal place of business in Florida or New Jersey. However, “a party need not always prove the exact location of a corporation’s principal place of business . . . . If it can be shown, for example, that the company’s principal place of business is one of two states, and the opposing party is not a citizen of either of them, subject matter jurisdiction will be upheld.” 13F Charles Alan Wright et al., Federal Practice & Procedure § 3625 (3d ed. April 2016 update). Though we have not explicitly adopted this principle, we have acknowledged its logic in other circumstances, see Cabalceta v. Standard Fruit Co., 883 F.2d 1553, 1560 (11th Cir. 1989) (discussing, without criticizing, decision of district court to exercise jurisdiction without determining corporation’s place of business), and we 9 Case: 15-12996 Date Filed: 06/24/2016 Page: 10 of 20 agree with the parties that its application is appropriate here. We are therefore satisfied that the district court had jurisdiction over this case.