Miller v. Soule
Miller v. Soule
Opinion of the Court
This case originated in a bill filed in the court of common pleas of Northampton county, Pa., sitting in equity. A petition for removal was filed by the defendants within the time limited by law, together with a bond. On this petition the state court made an order, based upon a finding that the petitioners had complied with all the requirements of the statute, directing that no further proceedings be taken in the cause and that it be removed to this court as provided by law. To this order the plaintiff entered an objection. The px-othonotary of said court of common pleas thereupon made up and certified a copy of the record. The petition for and order of removal was filed and made February 1st, and the above certificate and what purports to be the record was filed in this court on March 1, 1915. The plaintiff thereupon filed in this court a motion, to remand the cause to the court from which it was transferred. The general ground for removal is that the proceedings are irregular, and not in conformity with the requirements of the acts of Congress, and not effective to justify the removal. In order to save repetition, the specific grounds for remanding set forth will be stated in connection with their discussion.
[ 1 ] Paragraph 9 of the motion avers a noncompliance with the provisions of the Judicial Code, in that there is no proper averment of diverse citizenship, due to the omission to state that the defendants are nonresidents of the state of Pennsylvania. The provision of the Judicial Code is that a cause may be removed by the defendants therein, they “being nonresidents of that state.” The averment in the present petition for removal is that the defendants are “residents of the” state of New Jersey. The argument in support of the motion to remand is based upon the proposition that the petition must comply with the statitte by positive averments, which leave nothing to inference, and that an averment that the defendants are residents of New Jersey is not a positive, but an inferential, averment that they are nonresidents of Pennsylvania. This argument is supported by the ruling in Fife v.
The reasoning upon which these latter rulings are based has our acceptance. Jurisdiction depends upon a fact. The fact, it is true, being a jurisdictional fact, should appear. The fact, however, for its-expression is not limited to any mere formal verbiage, and it is difficult to accept the thought of residence in one place without excluding the thought of residence elsewhere. So far as affects the instant case the record of the state court malees clear the fact both of the New Jersey residence of the defendants and their nonresidence in Pennsylvania, because this fact was made the basis of an application for extraterritorial service. The petition for removal in the present case can therefore be upheld in this particular without conflict with the ruling in Fife v. Whittell.
Another ground for remanding is advanced in the second and fourth paragraphs of the motion. Section 29 of the Judicial Code requires the filing of a bond, with condition that the record of the cause in the state court shall be entered in this court within 30 days from the date of the filing of the petition. The provision in force before the enactment of the present Code was that the condition of the bond should be that the record would be entered before the first day of the then next session of this court. The bond in the present case followed the language of the old Code. It happens to be the fact, however, that the. record was entered here within 30 days. Counsel for plaintiff, in^ support of this ground for remanding, cites the case of Missouri Ry. Co. v. Chappel (D. C.) 206 Fed. 688.
The plaintiff entered a general objection in the state court to the action of that court in remanding this cause. There was at the time,
The conclusion reached is that, if the cause had proceeded in the state court with no other bond than the one as filed, the defendants could not have enforced the removal of the case; but, the state court having surrendered its jurisdiction and the case having in fact been removed, the grounds of the demand now to have it remanded have-been reduced to a mere shadow, and the remanding would be to deprive the defendants of the opportunity to do what at the time of the filing of their petition they might, and beyond all practical doubt would, have done—submitted with their petition a proper bond.
The objections to the form of the notice are also without avail as a. grounds for a remand.
For these reasons, the motion to remand is disallowed.
Reference
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- Syllabus
- 1. Removal of Causes 86—Nonresidence of Defendant—Allegation in Petition of Removal. A petition by defendant for removal to a federal court of a cause in a Pennsylvania state court, which avers that it is a resident of New Jersey, is sufficient under Judicial Code (Act March 3, 1911, c. 231, 36 Slat. 1087), authorizing removal by defendant, “being a nonresident” of the state, where the record of the state court clearly shows the fact both of the New Jersey residence of defendant and nonresidence in Pennsylvania. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. §§ 132, 166-179; Dee. Dig. 86.1 2. Removal of Causes 86—Grounds—Procedure. To authorize removal of a cause from a state to a federal court, the facts on which the right is based must exist, and they must be alleged of record through appropriate pleadings, accompanied by the formalities prescribed by law. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. §§ 132, 166-179; Dec. Dig. 86.] 3. Removal of Causes 95—Grounds—Procedure. Where jurisdictional facts authorizing removal of a cause from a state to a federal court exist and are properly pleaded, and all the requirements oE the law are met, the cause is in contemplation of law removed, and further proceedings in the state court are void, for the cause is ipso facto removed. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent Dig. §§ 201, 205; Dec. Dig. 95.] 4. Courts 50S—Removal of Cause—Exercise of Jurisdiction by State Court—Injunction by Federal Court. Where plaintiff proceeds with a case in the state court, notwithstanding removal thereof by defendant properly pleading jurisdictional facts for removal and complying with the statutory requirements, defendant may by suit iu federal courts enjoin plaintiff from the prosecution of the case in the state court, and thereby procure a determination of the question of the right of removal. [Kd. Note,—For other eases, see Courts, Cent. Dig. §§ 1418-1423, 1425-1430; Dec. Dig. 508.] 5. Removal of Causes 97—Procedure—Exercise of Jurisdiction by State Court. Where a state court proceeds with a case notwithstanding proper procedure for removal to the federal court, and the federal court likewise proceeds with the case, and both courts render final judgments, both cases may reach on appeal the federal Supreme Court, which will then determine the question of jurisdiction. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. §§ 206, 208-211; Dec. Dig. 97.j ^s»For other cases see same topic & KEY-NUMBER in all Key-Numbered Digests & Indexes. 6. Removal of Causes ©=>S9—Citizenship op Parties—Issues op Pact. Questions of the diversity of citizenship as ground for removal of a cause from a state to a federal court must be determined by the District Court. [Ed. Note.—Por other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. §§ 162, 165, 189, 192-195, 197, 200, 201; Dec. Dig. ©=>89.] 7. Removal op Causes ©=>89—Right op Removal—Issues. Where the question of the right to remove an action from a state to a federal court is one of law on the facts in the record, it must be determined on the record as at the time of the filing of the petition for removal, and no grounds of jurisdiction not set forth in the petition can be introduced by amendment allowed in the District Court, though, where sufficient grounds for removal appear from the record, amendments may be allowed as to matters merely formal. [Ed. Nóte.—Por other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. §§ 162, 165, 189, 192-195, 197, 200, 201; Dec. Dig. ©=>89.] 8. Removal op Causes ©=>89, 95—Right op Removal—Issues. Whether a cause is removable from a state to a federal court depends on the whole state of the record, and the conclusion must first be drawn by the state court, which need not surrender jurisdiction, unless the cause is removable. [Ed. Note.—Por other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. §§ 162, 165, 189, 192-195, 197, 200, 201, 204, 205; Dec. Dig. ©=>89, 95.] 9. Removal op Causes ©=>89—Right of Removal—Issues. The right to remove a cause to a federal court when the state court refuses to surrender jurisdiction must be determined as a matter of strict right, depending on the record as it was when the petition for removal was presented. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. §§ 162, 165, 189, 192-195, 197, 200, 201; Dec. Dig. ©=>89.] 10. Removal of Causes ©=>107—Remand to State Court—Existence op Jurisdictional Facts. Where a state court removes a cause to a federal court, and a motion to remand is made in the federal court, the federal court must remand the case, where the jurisdiction of the federal court does not in fact exist, or where the jurisdictional facts are not shown by the record as at the time of the filing of the petition ; but where jurisdiction of the federal court exists, and the grounds of jurisdiction appear of record as of the filing of the petition, the proceedings may be amended by amplifying the statement of facts governing the grounds supporting jurisdiction in matters not of formal procedure only. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. §§ 178, 225-232, 234; Dec. Dig. ©=>107.] 11. Removal of Causes ©=>103—Remand to State Court. A state court need not remove a cause to a federal court, unless defendant;' Applying for removal, presents a proper bond; but, after removal, the cause will not be remanded merely because the bond does not conform to the federal statute, in the absence of any specific objection to the bond in the state court. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. §§ 221; Dec. Dig. ©=>103.] 12. Removal op Causes ©=>103—Remand to State Court—Grounds—Record. That.a state court, removing a cause to a federal court, transferred to the federal court the original papers filed in the state court, and not copies thereof, as required by Judicial Code, § 29, is not ground for remanding the cause to the state court. gs^For other cases see same topic & KEY-NUMBER in all Key-Numbered Digests & Indexes [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. $ 221; Dec. Dig. 13. Removal of Causes That the entire record on the removal of a cause to the federal court has not been returned, in that the bond accompanying the petition for removal is not in the record as returned, is not ground for remanding the cause to the state court; but the party complaining may obtain relief by mandamus or certiorari. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Removal of Causes, Cent. Dig. § 221; Dec. Dig. 5§=^103.] other cases sea same topic & KEY-NUMBER in ail Key-Numbered Digests & Indexes