Opinion ID: 456302
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Role of the Federal Court in Diversity Cases

Text: 14 At the outset, several introductory principles should be mentioned. Pursuant to the mandate of Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64, 58 S.Ct. 817, 82 L.Ed. 1188 (1938) a federal court in a diversity case is required to apply the law of the state in which the federal court sits. This applies equally to the conflict laws prevailing in the state in which the court sits. Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Electric Manufacturing Co., Inc., 313 U.S. 487, 61 S.Ct. 1020, 85 L.Ed. 1477 (1941). Thus, a federal court sitting in diversity should, whenever possible, reach the same result as the state court would reach in deciding the identical issue. See Trimper v. Nationwide Insurance Co., 540 F.Supp. 1188 (D.S.C.1982). Therefore, we are required, as was the district court, to function as an Alabama court in deciding the issue presented in this case.