Opinion ID: 659684
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Jurisdiction is Proper

Text: The Lillistons contest this court's jurisdiction over their appeal, claiming that the FDIC sued as FDIC/Receiver in the district court, and FDIC/Corporate on appeal. The existence of subject matter jurisdiction is a question of law reviewed de novo. Reebok Int'l, Ltd. v. Marnatech Enters., Inc., 970 F.2d 552, 554 (9th Cir.1992). In the captions of several of the pleadings below, the FDIC referred to itself as Receiver for the Merchant Bank of California. The body of the FDIC's First Amended Complaint, however, makes it clear that before that complaint was filed, the FDIC in its receiver capacity had sold the assets of the Merchant Bank to the FDIC in its corporate capacity. 1 It is the body of a pleading which controls, not the caption. 5 Wright and Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure Sec. 1321 (1990). Therefore, the court has jurisdiction over this appeal.