Civil Procedure Flashcards
What are the 7 issues for civil procedure questions?
- SMJ
- PJ
- Notice/opportunity to hear/be heard
- Service of process
- Venue
- Can the case be removed or remanded?
- Have any of the first 6 issues been waived?
The rules of civil procedure should be administered to secure ___________.
The just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action and proceeding.
Federal courts are courts of ________ jurisdiction.
Limited
In federal court, subject matter jurisdiction can be based on:
- Federal question
- Diversity of citizenship
A federal question is a civil action that arises under:
- The Constitution
- Federal laws
- US Treaties
What is the well-pleaded complaint rule?
A federal question must be integral to a plaintiff’s cause of action as revealed in their complaint
What is an anticipatory defense?
A plaintiff anticipates a defense based on a federal statute; this does not constitute a federal question.
What are artful pleadings?
Pleadings that are not integral to the claim. Federal questions made in artful pleadings do not constitute a federal question.
State statutes that incorporated federal standards arise under ____________ law, meaning ____________.
State
They are not federal questions
One example of state laws that incorporate federal standards are _____________.
State tort laws
For federal question cases, there is no _________________ requirement.
Amount in controversy
What is exclusive federal question jurisdiction?
Congress decides that any action arising under a certain statute must be heard in federal court because these cases require uniform national treatment
Two acts that rely on exclusive federal question jurisdiction are:
- The Copyright Act
- The Patent Act
What is common law federal jurisdiction?
A case does not arise under federal law, but there is a federal interest so central to the case that federal courts will assume jurisdiction.
To qualify for diversity of citizenship federal jurisdiction, the plaintiff must do what?
- Show complete diversity
- Satisfy the amount in controversy requirement
What is complete diversity?
No plaintiff can be from the same state as any defendant.
When in the course of proceedings must complete diversity be found?
At the commencement of the lawsuit
A diversity suit will not be dismissed if complete diversity is ____________.
Destroyed after the action is commenced
In determining diversity, citizenship of persons is based on ___________
Domicile, not residence
A person’s domicile is found where there is:
- Physical presence
- Intent to remain for the indefinite future
How many domiciles can a person have?
1
In order to assess a person’s intent to remain for the indefinite future, a court will consider ________
All relevant information, such as voting, car registration, taxes, family, etc.
A corporation is a citizen of which states?
- State where it is incorporated
- State where it has its principal place of business
Where is a corporation’s principal place of business?
The place of a corporation’s “nerve center” from where its officers conduct the corporation’s important business
Where is domicile for an unincorporated association?
Consider the citizenship of all individual members
Historically, ______________ governed jurisdiction in representative actions.
Citizenship of the representative
The citizenship of the represented party governs for jurisdiction when the represented party is a:
- Minor
- Incompetent
- Decedent
In class action suits, citizenship is determined according to ____________
Citizenship of members of the class
What are the rules regarding diversity and US citizens living abroad?
They cannot sue or be sued under diversity jurisdiction in federal court
Where is a permanent resident alien a citizen?
In the state where they are domiciled
What is alienage jurisdiction?
The court has diversity jurisdiction over an action between a state citizen and an alien, but not over an action between two aliens.
What is the amount in controversy requirement?
Plaintiff must have a good faith claim exceeding $75K exclusive of interests and costs
Does a party have to provide a specific amount to meet the amount in controversy requirement?
No; they must only show that there is some good faith possibility of recovering $75K
When can a claim be dismissed for failure to meet the amount in controversy requirement?
It must be a legal certainty that the amount in controversy is less than $75K
What is aggregation?
One plaintiff may combine claims against the same defendant.
Multiple plaintiffs can combine their claims to meet the amount in controversy requirement only if ________________.
They have joint interest, such as two parties owning the same land and suing for $40K each.
For the purposes of the amount in controversy requirement and multiple plaintiffs joining claims, ________ is not the same as ___________.
Joint and several liability
Joint interests
How is equitable relief valued for the purposes of the amount in controversy requirement?
By either:
1. Value of the harm to the plaintiff
2. Cost of defendant’s compliance
Even if there is diversity jurisdiction, a federal court will not hear cases involving:
- Divorce
- Alimony
- Child custody
- Probate of estate
What is the doctrine of supplemental jurisdiction?
Applies to any added-on claims that do not have an independent basis for SMJ in order to allow them into federal court
What is the test for supplemental jurisdiction?
Common nucleus of operative fact
What is the “Common Nucleus of Operative Fact” test?
The added-on claim must share a common nucleus of operative fact with a claim that satisfies SMJ.
The “Common Nucleus of Operative Fact” test is always satisfied if __________.
The additional claims arise out of the same transaction or occurrence
What is the one limitation on the plaintiff’s ability to bring supplemental jurisdiction?
A plaintiff may not add a second claim which would destroy complete diversity
A plaintiff may bring an additional claim under supplemental jurisdiction in order to overcome lack of:
- AIC in Diversity
- Complete Diversity in Federal Question
- AIC in Federal Question
When a plaintiff asserts supplemental jurisdiction, it is called __________
Pendant jurisdiction
When a defendant asserts supplemental jurisdiction, it is called __________
Ancillary jurisdiction
What are the limits on supplemental jurisdiction for related claims asserted by defendants?
There are none
For what reasons might a federal court decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction?
- State law predominates
- Novel/complex issue of state law
- Federal court dismissed all claims over which it had original jurisdiction
- Other exceptional circumstances
What is the “Full Faith and Credit” rule?
Under Article 4, a judgment is entitled to full faith and credit even as to jurisdiction when the questions were fully and fairly litigated.
What is the question of personal jurisdiction?
Whether a defendant can be sued in the forum state
The standard for personal jurisdiction is the same in both __________ and _________.
Federal court
State court
What are the three types of personal jurisdiction?
- In personam
- In rem
- Quasi-in-rem
What is in personam jurisdiction?
Jurisdiction based on power over a particular defendant
What is in rem jurisdiction?
Jurisdiction based on the presence of property within the forum state
What is quasi-in-rem jurisdiction?
Jurisdiction based on a person’s interest in property located within the court’s jurisdiction. Limits recovery to the value of that property.
What test controls quasi-in-rem jurisdiction?
International Shoe
What are the elements of the International shoe test?
- Minimum contacts
- Fairness
What are the three questions for personal jurisdiction?
- Is there a traditional basis of jurisdiction?
- Is jurisdiction based on some long-arm statute?
- If the answer to (2) is yes, is the application of the long-arm statute constitutional?
What are the three traditional bases for personal jurisdiction?
- Physical presence
- Domicile
- Consent
When will physical presence lead to personal jurisdiction?
If defendant is present in the forum state at the time of personal service
What exceptions will mean physical presence is not sufficient for personal jurisdiction?
- Fraud
- Force
- Immunity based on presence as a witness for another judicial proceeding
What is transient jurisdiction?
PJ based on service to a nonresident defendant as she passes through the forum state
Even if a person is not ______, a state still has personal jurisdiction wherever the person is domiciled.
Physically present
Ex: if I ran away to California, MI would still have personal jurisdiction because that’s my home.
When does a party expressly consent to personal jurisdiction?
- Expressly waiving jurisdictional objections
- Expressly agreeing to jurisdiction by contract
A defendant can __________ without consenting to personal jurisdiction
Challenge personal jurisdiction via special appearance
When does a party implicitly consent to personal jurisdiction?
Statutes that confer personal jurisdiction over specific classes of defendants in particular circumstances
What is a long-arm statute?
Specifies when a state court may exercise personal jurisdiction over a particular defendant
How do you know if a long-arm statute meets due process?
Defendant has minimum contacts with the forum state so that the suit doesn’t offend fair play and substantial justice
What is purposeful availment?
A defendant has voluntarily reached out to the state, creating minimum contacts.
What are the schools of thought regarding purposeful availment in stream-of-commerce cases?
- Placing an object up for sale that someone in a forum state could buy means establishing sufficient contact.
- Sellers must directly contact a state somehow
- Intent to serve the US as a single market was sufficient
What does minimum contacts require?
- Purposeful Availment AND
- Foreseeability
When are minimum contacts foreseeable?
It must have been foreseeable that the defendant would be sued in the forum state
What are the elements of fair play and substantial justice in regards to International Shoe?
- Relatedness of contact and claim
- Reasonableness of jurisdiction
If a claim does not arise out of the defendant’s contact with the forum state, personal jurisdiction may still be found in these situations:
- Historically, if there was systematic and continuous contact in the forum
- Modern, where the defendant feels at home
If a claim does not arise out of the defendant corporation’s contact with the forum state, personal jurisdiction may still be found in these states:
- State of incorporation
- Principal place of business
A jurisidiction is reasonable - meaning there is fair play and substantial justice - for the purposes of minimum contacts based on these factors:
- Is the forum so inconvenient so as to put the defendant at a disadvantage?
- Could plaintiff obtain relief in another forum?
- Does the forum state have an interest in providing a forum because of its residents?
What is the notice requirement of personal jurisdiction?
Defendant must be given actual, reasonable notice under the circumstances
What options for service meet the notice requirement?
- Personal service
- Substitute service
- Service on authorized agent
- Service by publication
- Waiver by mail
- State law methods
What is substitute service?
Service
1. At usual place of abode
2. To person of suitable age and discretion who resides there
Service by publication is not usually sufficient unless:
- Plaintiff does not have defendant’s address (or a way to discover it)
- There is no surrogate to service the process on
- Published in a way that could effectively get notice to the defendant
A defendant properly waives her right to formal service of process if:
- Notice is mailed first class with prepaid postage to the defendant
- Defendant returns waiver within 30 days
What are the incentives for a defendant to waive formal service of process?
- They have 60 days to answer instead of 21
- Court won’t impose cost of service on defendant
- Does not mean giving up material objections to venue or jurisdiction
In federal court, the plaintiff may use methods of service allowed in states where:
- Federal court sits
- Service effected
Who can complete service?
Anyone who is not a party who is at least 18 years old
A federal court can allow service of process on a defendant located out of state only if _____________.
It is permitted under the state’s statutes and rules for extraterritorial service
When may there be service on a foreign corporation outside the US?
As long as it is not prohibited by international agreement
A person is immune from service of process in the following situations:
- In state to appear in other civil action
- Fraud or deceit
When does the internet create sufficient contact with a forum state?
- Active websites conduct business over the internet (Amazon, etc.), creating general jurisdiction
- Interactive websites designed to conduct business transactions create purposeful availment
- Passive websites that solely post information are not purposeful availment
What is the issue of venue?
Which federal court can the parties litigate before within a jurisdiction?
In diversity and federal question cases, venue is proper where:
- All defendants are domiciled OR a substantial portion of the claim arose
- There is SMJ over the claim AND
- There is PJ over the parties
If there are multiple defendants who reside in different districts within the same state, then venue is proper _______________
In any district where one of the defendants resides
A substantial portion of a claim arises in the state where:
- Substantial part of the events leading to the claim arose
- Substantial part of the property subject to the action is situated
If there is no district in which an action may otherwise be brought in a diversity case, _________ is proper
Any district where defendant is subject to PJ at the commencement of the action
If there is no district in which an action may otherwise be brought in a federal question case, _________ is proper
Any district in which a defendant can be found
For corporations, venue is proper in _____________.
Any state in which a corporation resides
There is a presumption in favor of _______ choice of venue
The plaintiff’s
If venue is transferred, the court must be somewhere with:
- Proper SMJ
- Proper PJ
- Proper venue
Even if the original venue is proper, the court may nevertheless transfer the case based on:
- Convenience to the parties
- The interests of justice
What public factors speak to the interests of justice?
- Court congestion
- Local interest in having controversies decided
- Unfairness of burdening citizens with jury duty
What private factors speak to the interests of justice?
- Access to evidence
- Availability of witnesses
- Cost of getting witnesses to forum
- Possibility of viewing related premises
- Forum-selection clause
If the original venue is improper, the court may either:
- Grant dismissal
- Order transfer if it is in the interests of justice
Transfer is a change of ________, not a change of ________.
Court
Law
What is the doctrine of forum non conveniens?
Allows a court to dismiss an action if a far more appropriate and convenient forum exists elsewhere
What are the requirements for forum non conveniens?
- Alternative forum exists
- Transfer is not possible
- The fact that a plaintiff might recover less is irrelevant
- Never applied if plaintiff is resident of current forum
Inequality of bargaining power between the parties may warrant giving less effect to ____________.
The forum-selection clause
A forum-selection clause in an international contract should _________.
Control absent a strong showing that it should be set aside
Cases originally filed in state court can be removed by the defendant only if __________.
The case could have originally been filed in federal court
Only __________ can remove an action to federal court
Defendants
Removal allows a defendant to __________ a plaintiff’s choice of forum.
Veto
In order to achieve removal when there is more than one defendant, there must be ________.
Unanimous consent
A defendant who files ___________ in state court will have waived her right to remove the case to federal court.
A permissive counterclaim
A defendant who files ___________ in state court will not have waived her right to remove the case to federal court.
A compulsory counterclaim
A defendant can only remove a state court case to which federal district court?
A federal district court that geographically embraces the state court.
Diversity cases cannot be removed when any defendant is a resident of _____________.
A state in which the action was brought
What happens if state claims fall under federal jurisdiction or federal claims fall under state jurisdiction?
All such claims should arise under federal court
What happens if you remove a state law claim that doesn’t fall under federal jurisdiction?
It should be severed and remanded to the state court.
Notice of removal must be filed within _________ after the defendant receives notice that a case is removable.
30 days
In a diversity case, removal can occur up to _______ after a claim is filed.
One year
What is the procedure for removal?
- Defendant files a notice of removal
- Notice is signed under Rule 11
- Defendant attaches all documents served on defendant
- Defendant copies all adverse parties
- Copy filed in state court
A motion to remand based on a defect must be made within ______ after _________.
30 days
Defendant files notice of removal
If at any time before final judgment, the federal court lacks _______, the case should be remanded.
SMJ
A defendant cannot appeal an order to ________.
Remand
What is the one issue of civil procedure that cannot be waived?
SMJ
What is the Erie doctrine?
A federal court relying on diversity jurisdiction must use substantive state law and procedural federal law.
What are matters of substantive law?
- Elements of a claim or defense
- Statute of limitations
- Conflict or choice of law rules
Under the Supremacy Clause, if there is a federal law conflicting with state law, the federal court must apply ___________.
The federal law
If a federal rule of civil procedure is arguably procedural, it ______________.
Is valid and will be applied
If you can’t tell if a law is substantive or procedural, use the following test:
- If the state law substantively determines the outcome, it is substantive.
- Does either federal or state court have an interest in seeing a rule applied?
- Don’t promote forum shopping
What is the Klaxon rule?
A federal district court sitting in diversity must apply the choice-of-law approach prevailing in the state in which it sits
What is a complaint?
The initial pleading by the plaintiff that starts a civil action and states the basis for the court’s jurisdiction
What elements must be included in a complaint?
- Statement of SMJ
- Statement of claim showing entitlement to relief
- Demand for relief sought
Modern statements of claim showing entitlement to relief must ____________.
Plead facts supporting a plausible claim
A plaintiff must serve the summons and complaint within _________ of filing the cause of action.
90 days
What special matters must be plead with particularity if they are to be raised at trial?
- Fraud
- Mistake
- Special damages
A plaintiff does not have to plead specifically and individually the performance of each and every _____________ to defendant’s performance.
Condition precedent
What does a plaintiff have to plead in regards to conditions precedent?
Generally that she complied with all conditions precedent; the defendant must prove which conditions the plaintiff did not perform
The defendant’s response to the plaintiff’s complaint is called ________
The answer
What is the structure of a defendant’s answer?
Defendant states in short and plain terms her defenses to each claim
What are responses a defendant can give to a specific allegation in a complaint?
- Admit
- Deny
- State lack of sufficient information to admit or deny
In order to deny an allegation, a party must ____________. Otherwise, ________.
Expressly deny it
The party admits the allegation
The defendant must plead ___________ in the answer or the defense will be waived
Affirmative defenses
What is a counterclaim?
A claim against opposing party
What is a permissive counterclaim?
A counterclaim that may be pleaded in the answer
What is a compulsory counterclaim?
A counterclaim that must be pleaded in the answer
What is a crossclaim?
A claim against a co-party
What is an impleader?
A defendant who believes that a third person is liable for all or part of the plaintiff’s claim against the defendant
What is indemnity?
A third party is liable for all of a plaintiff’s claim against a defendant
What is contribution?
A third party is liable for part of a plaintiff’s claim against a defendant
An answer must be provided within ________ of service of process.
21 days
An answer must be provided within __________ of waiver of formal service of process.
60 days
An answer must be provided within ________ of denial of a Rule 12 motion.
14 days
What is a Rule 12 motion?
A request for a court order
Motions can either be ____ or _____.
Granted
Denied
Describe a 12(e) motion for a more definite statement.
If a complaint is ambiguous, a defendant may move for a more definite statement.
What are the main Rule 12 motions?
b. Motion to dismiss
e. Motion for more definite statement
f. Motion to strike
When can a motion for a more definite statement be made?
Pre-answer only
A party can move to strike material in the complaint that is:
- Redundant
- Immaterial
- Impertinent
- Scandalous
A motion to dismiss can be based on:
- Lack of SMJ
- Lack of PJ
- Improper venue
- Insufficiency of process
- Insufficiency of service of process
- Failure to state a claim
- Failure to join indispensable party
When must a motion to dismiss based on lack of SMJ be raised
At any time
When must a motion to dismiss based on lack of PJ be raised
First response by defendant
When must a motion to dismiss based on improper venue be raised?
First response by defendant
When must a motion for insufficiency of process be raised?
First response by defendant
When must a motion to dismiss for insufficiency of service of process be raised?
First response by defendant
When must a motion to dismiss based on failure to state a claim be raised?
Any time during trial
When must a motion to dismiss based on failure to join a necessary party be raised?
Any time during trial
Amendments to pleadings allowed once as a matter of course when:
- Within 21 days of serving the pleading
- 21 days after service of a responsive pleading/pre-answer motion
The Supreme Court has indicated that amendments should be allowed unless they result in some form of ________.
Injustice
What kinds of injustice does the Supreme Court want to avoid by allowing amendments?
- Undue delay
- Bad faith
- Repeated failure to cure defects by amendment
- Undue prejudice to the party opposing the amendment
If there is no right to amend, amendment may be granted by:
- Express consent
- Implied consent
- Over objection at trial
How does a party provide express consent to an amendment?
Written consent of the adverse party
How does a party provide implied consent to an amendment?
The issue is brought up at trial and no objection is made
What happens if a party objects to an amendment during trial?
The evidence is inadmissible because it is at variance with the pleadings
Even if there is an objection, the court has the discretion to grant leave to amend as long as:
- There is no display of delay or prejudice
- The party is given notice
- The party has the ability to litigate
What does relation back deal with?
Amendments that take place after the statute of limitations has run
What does “relation back” do?
Treats an amended pleading as though it was filed with the original pleading, thus avoiding statute of limitations problems
When will an added claim relate back to the date of the original pleading?
If the claim arises out of the conduct, transaction, or occurrence set forth in the original pleading
When will an amendment changing the defendant relate back to the original pleading?
- It concerns the conduct, transaction, or occurrence as the original complaint
- New party knew of the suit within 90 days of the original claim AND
- New party knew that they would have been named but for the mistake
What types of amendment could potentially relate back?
- Adding a new claim
- Changing the defendant