Court Opinion

ID: 9814655
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 00:00:39.872416+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:42:14.815415
License: Public Domain

COLE, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
When a federal court hears a case due to the diversity of the litigants, it must apply substantive state, not federal, law. As a general matter, this principle furthers justice by ensuring litigants the same outcome regardless of which court hears their claims. At times, however, this principle ties us to law we believe to be erroneous. Sadly, this is one such case.
Today, our hands are tied by a rope woven from the pages of the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision in Trentadue. To give James and Glenna Chandler their day in court, as they surely deserve, Michigan law requires us to find that Arthur Paiva’s actions were within the scope of his employment with Wackenhut. For the reasons stated in the majority opinion, I am unable to do so. I regretfully concur.