Thompson v. Schaetzel
Thompson v. Schaetzel
Opinion of the Court
This is is an appeal from an order of the circuit court of Minnehaha county, denying a written request to have the action transferred and proceeded with in the United States circuit court for the district of South Dakota. The above entitled action was commenced in June, 1886, before the territorial district court. The complaint alleges — and it is not denied — that the plaintiff was duly appointed receiver of the First National Bank of Sioux Falls, Dak., and it was shown that he brings this action as such receiver for the conversion of personal property, and claims damages at $25,000. The cause was tried in the district court of the territory; judginent rendered in favor of plaintiff; an appeal was taken to the supreme .court of the territory; and judgment reversed, and case remanded for a new trial, June 3, 1889. November 2, 1889, the south half of the Territory of Dakota was admitted as the State of South Dakota, in which the county of Minnehaha is situated. Under the provisions of the bill admitting the state, the state supreme and circuit courts became respectively, the successors of the supreme and district courts of the territory, in all cases
The above statement of facts shows that the appellant, after the circuit court of the state had acquired jurisdiction of the cause, filed a second amended answer to the complaint, about six months before the written request to remove the cause to the United States court was made. By this act he submitted himself to the jurisdiction of the state cpurt, and under the rule announced in the case of Wing v. Railway Co. 1 S. D. 455, the motion to remove came too late. The reasons and authorities upon which the rule is based were fully considered at the time the above opinion was rendered, and need no further elaboration at this time.
Appellant, however, insists that the case at bar does not come within the rule laid down in that case, but that it is an action coming within the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal character of the action arises from the fact that, under the decision of the federal courts, a receiver of a national bank is held to be an officer of the United States, andas such may sue in the United States courts in the district in which the bank of which he is receiver is located, and maintain the action without regard to the citizenship of the parties or the amount involved in the in the suit. Price v. Abbott, 17 Fed. Rep. 506; Kennedy v. Gibson, 8 Wall. 498; Bank v. Kennedy, 17 Wall. 19. Clause 3, § 629, Rev. St. U. S., defining the jurisdiction of the circuit courts of the United States, gives the circuit court jurisdiction of all suits at common law when the United States, or any officer thereof, serving under authority of any act of congress, is plaintiff. The plaintiff in this case is the receiver of a na
Reference
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- Syllabus
- 1. Under-the congressional enactment admitting the State of South Dakota into the Union, the state supreme and circuit courts became, respectively, the successors of the supreme and district courts of the territory, in all cases then pending in those courts, unless the circuit and district courts of the United States might have had jurisdiction under the laws of the United States had such courts existed at the time of the commencement of the action. 2. No civil action, cause, or proceedings, in which the United States is not a party, can be transferred to the United States courts except upon written request of one of the parties, made before any active steps have been taken in the state court. When any act has been performed of a substantive character in the case in the state court, the jurisdiction therefor has become absolute and unqualified, and no transfer will be allowed. We adhere to the rule announced in the case of Wing v. Railway Co., (S. D.) 47 N. W. Rep. 530. 3. Receivers of national banks are officers of the United States, and as such may sue in the United States courts in the district in which the banks of which they are receivers are located; and may maintain the action without regard to the citizenship of the parties or the amount involved in the action. Still, the federal courts do not have exclusive original jurisdiction of all actions by or against such receivers. State courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the federal courts. (Syllabus by the Court.