Opinion ID: 559980
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Jurisdiction to Review the Remand Order

Text: 31 In general, remand orders are not immediately appealable. 28 U.S.C.A. Sec. 1447(d) (West Supp.1990). We agree with Sofarelli's contention, however, that the instant remand order is appealable because the case was initially removed from state court pursuant to 28 U.S.C.A. Sec. 1443 (West Supp.1990). Section Sec. 1447(d) provides as follows: 32 (d) An order remanding a case to the State court from which it was removed is not reviewable on appeal or otherwise, except that an order remanding a case to the State court from which it was removed pursuant to section 1443 of this title shall be reviewable by appeal or otherwise. (emphasis added) 33 Section 1447(d) expressly permits appellate review of remand orders in cases that were originally removed to federal court under Sec. 1443. 34 This case was properly removed under Sec. 1443. 5 The case originally filed against Sofarelli in state court involved issues of property ownership and land use rights, issues appropriately addressed by state courts. Sofarelli subsequently suspected, however, that the plaintiffs had racial motivations for attempting to enjoin him from completing the house move. Accordingly, he counterclaimed that the lawsuit filed in state court by Hibbing was an effort to coerce, intimidate or deter him from providing housing in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The parties do not dispute that this allegation falls within the United State Supreme Court's holding in State of Georgia v. Rachel, 384 U.S. 780, 86 S.Ct. 1783, 16 L.Ed.2d 925 (1966), that removal under Sec. 1443 is proper when a lawsuit filed in state court is itself the act by which the movant's civil rights are violated. See also Northside Realty Assoc., Inc. v. Chapman, 411 F.Supp. 1195 (N.D.Ga.1976) (applying Rachel to hold that lawsuits filed in state court which violate the defendant's rights under the Fair Housing Act are properly removable under Sec. 1443). Having determined that the case was properly removed under Sec. 1443, we have jurisdiction to review the propriety of the remand order under Sec. 1447(d).