FRCP Flashcards
Can a state claim be joined with a federal claim even without diversity?
Yes supplemental jurisdiction exists even if diversity does not so long as the federal claim has the same root transaction or occurrence.
What are the big topics in Civ. Pro?
(1) Forum Selection (2) Procedural Law
What are the parts of forum selection?
(1) Jurisdiction, (2) Venue, (3) Law
Civ Pro Phone Number
4047276838
What are the types of Jurisdiction?
(1) Personal and (2) Subject Matter
What is Personal Jurisdiction (PJ) ?
The court’s power over the parties.
What is Subject Matter Jurisdiction?
The court’s power over the law.
What are the steps to determining PJ?
(1) Must fall within a statute and (2) must satisfy the constitution.
What is a long-arm statute?
A state statute that specifies when and how the state court may have jurisdiction over non-resident defendants.
What is the consitutional requirement for PJ?
Minimum contacts with the forum state.
What are the factors of constitutional PJ?
(1) Contact, (2) Relatedness, and (3) Fairness
What is contact for PJ?
(1) Purposful availalment and(2) foreseeability.
What is purposful availment?
A voluntary act targeting the forum.
How may a person exercise purposful availment?
Does not have to be physical, online may suffice if persons in the forum are targetted.
What is foreseeability?
It is foreseeable a lawsuit could arise in the forum.
What is relatedness?
If the plaintiff’s claim arises out of or relate to the defendants contact with the forum.
What is the scope of relatedness?
Relatedness is not confined to a direct causal injury but extends to any conduct related to substantial contact with the forum state. It is either (1) specific or (2) general.
What are the types of personal jurisdiction?
(1) Specific, (2) General
What is general PJ?
(1) The defendant is at home in the forum. (2) A person is at home when domiciled.
What are the two ways to get general PJ?
(1) Domiciled in Forum or (2) Served in the Forum
When is a corporation at home?
(1) State of incorporation and (2) Principal place of business
What is fairness?
Whether it would be fair or reasonable in the circumstances in a question of specific personal jurisdiction.
When does fairness apply?
Only in specific personal jurisdiction
What are the factors of fairness?
(1) Burden on the defendant and witnesses, (2) State’s interest, (3) Plaintiff’s interest
What is Process?
(1) Summons and (2) Copy of the complaint.
What is necessary notice for a suit?
Service of Process
Who can serve process?
(1) Non-party (2) at least 18, (3) or specified by court
When must process be served?
(1) In the United States, (2) within 90 days of the filing of the complaint.
How is processed served?
(1) Personal service, (2) substitute service, (3) service on an agent, (4) state law methods.
What is personal service?
Physically approaching the defendant, giving them the summons and complaint, and informing them of the service.
What is substitute personal service?
(1) To a resident (2) in the plaintiffs personal abode (3) of suitable age and discretion.
What is usual abode?
A common-sense determination for where they are living. May include summer homes if in the season.
Must the person accepting process for substitution be related?
No, they must simply live there and have suitable age and discretion.
What is service on an agent?
The personal delivery of the process to an identifiable agent of the defendant for this purpose. E.g. an attorney or personal assistant.
What states are determinative for state law methods?
(1) State of the forum and (2) service is made.
How is process served on a business or organization?
(1) Delivery to an officer or agent, or (2) State law service
Who is service done on a minor or incompetent person?
It must be (1) state law of (2) the state where it is served.
How is service of process done for a foreign defendant?
(1) As directed by American Courts, (2) method allowed by the foreign countries law, (3) a letter rogatory from an official of the country, or (4) mail sent by the America clerk so long as signed upon receipt and not prohibited by the foreign government.
How is service waived?
Plaintiff sends (1) a copy of the complaint & summons, and (2) two waiver forms and (3) the defendant signs and returns waivers to the plaintiff, (4) the plaintiff files it with the court.
Does waiving service waive personal jurisdiction?
No
What happens if the defendant failed to return waiver?
The defendant may be liable for the cost of service of process.
How can process of service be recovered?
The person serving the service files an affidavit with the cout.
How is a defendant immune?
If already appearing in another case in the same jurisdiction
What is required for motions, responses, etc. served?
(1) Delivery of relevant documents either (2) by mail or other media agreed to. No need for summons.
When is service performed if mailed?
As soon as it is sent.
What is the scope of subject matter jurisdiction (SMJ)?
(1) Federal has limited subject matter jurisdiction, (2) states have general subject matter jurisdiction
Can a state court generally hear federal claims?
Yes, with a few exceptions.
What are the SMJ for Federal?
(1) Federal Questions, (2) Diversity
Can SMJ be waived?
No, it is not waivable.
What is diversity?
(1) Right kind of litigants AND (2) Amount in controversy over $75,000
What are the right types of litigants for diversity?
(1) Alienage [US Citizen v. Non-US Citizen], (2) Plaintiffs and defendants are not in the same state
When is diversity void for US citizens?
No SMJ exists if ANY plaintiffs are domiciled in the same state as ANY defendant.
When is domicile for diversity established?
At the time of the filing.
What is the status of a Green Card holder?
They are not a US citizen for the purpose of diversity, however if they are domiciled in the same state as an opposing party there is no diversity.
What are the necessary elements of changing domicile?
(1) Establishing physical presence AND (2) intent to make it home for indefinite future.
How is intent to change domicile determined?
Actions such as registering to vote, purchasing a home, joining local organizations etc.
What is the effect of changing domicile after filing on diversity?
No effect. Only domicile at the time of filing.
How is citizenship of a corporation determined?
(1) Any state or country it is incorporated and (2) a state or country where there is a principal place of business
What is Principal Place of Business (PPB)?
Where the “nerve center” of the business occurs. Determined by where the officers make the decisions.
How is an unincorporated citizenship determined?
Partnership: Citizenship of all of its members. Limited partnership: principal partners.
What is the citizenship of minors, incompetents, or decedants?
The citizenship of the minors, incompetents, or descendants, not their agents.
What citizenship is used for class action?
Named representative, not all of the class constituents.
When is the amount satisfied?
(1) Claim itself not prejudgment interest, (2) clear to a legal certainty exceeds $75,000.00.
May punitive damages included in the calculation for the amount in controversy?
It may, but only in an appropriate case. Thus Contracts are usually excluded.
What is the effect of the effect of the actual recovery amount on diversity?
Irrelevant even if less than $75,000
What is the effect of aggregate claims?
Claims may be aggregated but must exceed $75,000 for a single party against another single party.
What is the effect of joint claims?
The number of parties is irrelevant, it is only the value of the aggregated claim from one plaintiff against one defendant. If one plaintiff DOES meet it, then supplemental may apply to include the one that does not.
What is the effect of equitable relief on the amount in controversy?
(1) If the relief is granted will provide over $75,000 in benefits to the plaintiff or (2) will the compliance by the defendant exceed $75,000.
When are federal courts going to refuse diversity?
(1) Divorce, (2) alimony, (3) child custody, or (4) probate.
When can a court refuse diversity?
If a change in citizenship or transaction is merely tactical and shallow to get diversity.
When is there a federal question?
(1) Claim arises under federal law, (2) determined by a well-pleaded complaint.
What is a “well-pleaded complaint”?
(1) The plaintiff’s claim itself must arise under federal law and (2) the plaintiff is seeking to enforce a federal right.
What are the necessary elements of federal questions?
(1) federal right given by (2) federal law.
What is removal?
A procedure allowing the defendant to move a case from state court to federal court. State -> Federal
What is remand?
Sending a claim back to a state court or a lower court. Federal -> State
What is transfer?
A change of venue or actual court within the same judicial system and jurisdiction. State court A -> State court B; Fed Court A -> Fed Court B.
What is the standard for Removal?
The case could have been filed in federal court regardless of whether the state court had jurisdiction.
What is required for Notice of Removal?
(1) Grounds of removal, (2) Court permission NOT required, (3) Served on adverse parties, (4) File in federal court and copy in state court.
What is the timing of removal?
Within 30 days after service of process when it became removable. Unless multiple defendants are served at a later time, then it is 30 days from the latest defendant being served.
Who is joined in Removal?
All defendants. Not all need to be in the same papers.
Who has the right to remove?
Only the original defendants, even counter-claims are not sufficient.
What can be removed?
(1) SMJ, (2) Limits on removal based on diversity:
(a) Any defendant is a citizen of the forum state, (b) after one year of filing.
When does the one year time limit tend to apply?
When a defendant destroying diversity is dismissed or a federal claim is added.
What may overcome the one year removal?
If it is proven one of the defendants was added solely to prevent removal.
Can a case be removed from a state court to a federal district outside the state court?
No, the removal must be in the district.
When may a plaintiff move to remand?
Within 30 days if the defect is other than lack of SMJ, but limit does not apply if there is a defect in SMJ
What is supplemental jurisdiction?
A sub-species of federal subject matter jurisdiction.
How is supplemental jurisdiction found?
(1) invalid as an independent claim in federal court under diversity, (2) common nucleus.
When is an additional claim independently invalid?
In a federal court, look for SMJ in an additional claim. If the additional claim is already independently within federal SMJ, then supplemental does not apply.
What is the common nucleus?
The facts must be substantively related to the additional claim. It must arise from the same transaction or occurrence.
What claims are excluded to supplemental jurisdiction?
Any cases that got into court through federal questions.
What is the limit on supplemental jurisdictions?
Plaintiffs may not invoke through new claims, except if there are multiple plaintiffs and one of the claims by one of them does not meet the amount in controversy fails.
What is the first step of the Erie Doctrine?
Is there a federal law on point that directly conflicts with state law? Then fed wins if valid.
How does Erie affect FRCP?
FRCP are presumptively valid, federal rules usually apply
What is the second step of the Erie?
Is there no federal law on point? Then federal court must apply the state law if it is substantive.
What are the substantive issues in which state law always applies?
(1) Conflict or choice of law (2) elements of claim, (3) statute of limitations, (4) rules for tolling, (5) standard for granting a new trial in excess or insufficient awards.
What is the relationship of SOL to Erie?
SOLs are ALWAYS substantive under Erie.
Who prevails with multiple states involving SOL?
Forum state prevails for SOL
When is an issue substantive?
(1) outcome-determinative, (2) balance interest factors, and (3) avoid forum shopping.
When is an issue outcome-determinative?
If when the state law is applied one party will clearly win.
How are interest factors balanced?
The stronger interest of the state tends to win.
How is forum shopping determined?
If the decision will lead to a flood of cases in federal court.
Where does Federal Common Law exist?
International relations, inter-state disputes, and admiralty.
What are the possibilities for venue?
(1) Any district where ALL defendants reside OR (2) Where a substantial part of the claim arose or a substantial part of the property is located.
When does the rule for venue apply?
For claims initially filed in Federal Court, not removed from state court.
When is it appropriate to have a different venue?
If the defendants reside in the same STATE, but not DISTRICT.
Who has the burden for transfer?
The person seeking the transfer.
How is it determined if transfer is eligible?
(1) law, (2) community for jury, (3) local controversies local, (4) convenience for the parties, (5) availability of evidence.
What is the effect of transfer in diversity for choice of law?
The transferee must apply the laws of the transferor.
When are forum selection clauses held?
Ordinarily enforced, unless public interest say otherwise or transferee court applies own choice of law rules.
What is forum non conveniens?
The Center of gravity is elsewhere in a different judicial system, but cannot be transferred and is thus dismissed.
What are the pleading contents?
(1) Grounds of SMJ, PJ not required (2) short and plain statement showing plaintiff is plausibly entitled to relief, (3) sufficient facts.
How is “plausibility” determined?
It is up to the discretion of the judge.
What must a defendant do to respond?
Defendant must respond by motion or answer within 21 days of proper service of process.
What is the effect of waiver of process on response?
Waiver of service increases time to 60 days.
How are motions different from pleadings?
They are seeking a court order for the other party to do or not do something.
Who may move to strike?
Any party can move to stike.
What are the 12(b) defenses?
(1) lack of PJ, any improper (2) venue, (3) process, (4) service of process; any failure: (5) state a claim, (6) join a party, (7) lack of SMJ [can be raised at ANY time].
What 12(b) motions are waivable?
(1) lack of PJ, improper (2) venue, (3) process, (4) service of process.
What must a defendant do after a failed motion to dismiss?
Must supply an answer within 14 days of the denial.
What is an answer?
A pleading that responds to the allegations in the complaint may be either: (1) admit, (2) deny, or (3) lack of knowledge for some or all allegations. The defendant must then raise affirmative defenses.
What is the effect of stating “lack of knowledge”?
It is seen as denial and may not be raised if it is not true.