Opinion ID: 1233992
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Summary of Analysis

Text: We believe that the district court (1) overemphasized the fraudulent joinder doctrine, which is not directly applicable to post-removal joinder; (2) improperly applied that doctrine by errantly concluding that Illinois law did not support at least some of Schur's claims against Poole and Morr; and (3) wrongly concluded that Schur's motion was untimely. We find that, as a result, the district judge improperly struck Schur's second amended complaint and denied remand. Our review of the record indicates that the district court should have remanded Schur's case to Illinois state court. Application of the fraudulent joinder doctrine does not help us determine, in this case, whether Schur sought to join Morr and Poole solely to defeat diversity jurisdiction, and we see no other evidence suggesting that she did so. Schur was also not dilatory in seeking joinder. As for balancing the equities, we recognize L.A. Weight Loss's interest in avoiding the potential biases of local courts, see Poulos, 959 F.2d at 71, but we must also consider Schur's interest in avoiding the cost and inconvenience of parallel lawsuits in state and federal court. Significantly, Schur would present her case in federal court without also litigating her claims against the two employees who actually provided her late sister with the supplements that purportedly killed her. The allegations in the complaint extend beyond L.A. Weight Loss's mere failure to study, research, or warn of the supplements' effects and dangers; Schur included allegations related to Hoppe's individual program and dosages in excess of L.A. Weight Loss's directives. Because we have determined that the district court erred by denying remand, it had no jurisdiction to reach the merits of Schur's lawsuit, and neither do we.