Opinion ID: 6326894
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: KCG asserted state-law claims against six defendants in Oklahoma state court. After KCG settled with Secure Account Service, LLC, another defendant, Veritas Legal Plan, Inc., removed the case to federal court. Upon removal, the district court dismissed DPG for lack of personal jurisdiction. KCG then voluntarily dismissed Veritas with prejudice under a settlement agreement and eventually sought to appeal DPG’s dismissal. To facilitate an appeal, KCG moved the district court to certify the order dismissing DPG as final decision under Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(b).1 KCG also contemporaneously dismissed without prejudice defendants Decision One Debt Relief, LLC; D1 Servicing Group, LLC; and Essential Strategic Partners Group, Inc. The district court did not rule on the Rule 54(b) motion. KCG filed its notice of appeal anyway ten may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1. 1 Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(b) states: “When an action presents more than one claim for relief . . . the court may direct entry of a final judgment as to one or more, but fewer than all, claims or parties only if the court expressly determines that there is no just reason for delay.” 2 Appellate Case: 21-5022 Document: 010110662673 Date Filed: 03/25/2022 Page: 3 months after the dismissal of DPG and five months after KCG voluntarily dismissed the remaining defendants. Before briefing, we directed KCG to obtain a Rule 54(b) certification or a final judgment, noting that a party generally may not manufacture finality by voluntarily dismissing claims without prejudice. KCG returned to the district court and sought an emergency Rule 54(b) certification. In response, the district court purported to enter a separate judgment, stating that (1) DPG was dismissed, (2) KCG voluntarily dismissed its claims against all remaining defendants, and (3) the judgment was the final disposition of the case. The parties proceeded to brief the merits of this appeal.2