United States Fourth Circuit

In seeking to remove to federal court this class action brought on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina, defendant failed to demonstrate the minimal diversity required by 28 U.S.C. section 1332(d)(2)(A), where: 1) South Carolina is Defendant's principal place of business; and 2) the class is defined to exclude persons who may have moved from South Carolina and established citizenship elsewhere before the complaint was filed.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/12/2008
• Published 12/12/2008

Judges

• Before NIEMEYER, TRAXLER, and AGEE, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Barry Goheen, Michael C. Russ, King & Spalding, L.L.P., Atlanta, Georgia, for Appellant.  Joe R. Whatley, Jr., Whatley Drake & Kallas, LLC, New York, New York, for Appellees.   ON BRIEF:  Jonathan R. Chally, King & Spalding, L.L.P., Atlanta, Georgia;  William Douglas Smith, Johnson Smith Hibbard & Wildman Law Firm, L.L.P., Spartanburg, South Carolina;  Thomas C. Brittain, Hearn, Brittain & Martin, P.A., Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for Appellant.  J. Preston Strom, Jr., Mario A. Pacella, Strom Law Firm, L.L.C., Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellees.