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) defendant is incorporated in South Carolina; 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:  Henrietta U. Golding, McNair Law Firm, P.A., Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for Appellant.  Joe R. Whatley, Jr., Whatley, Drake & Kallas, LLC, New York, New York, for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  Alan S. Kaplinsky, Mark J. Levin, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, L.L.P., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;  Rita M. McKinney, McNair Law Firm, P.A., Greenville, South Carolina, for Appellant.  J. Preston Strom, Jr., Mario A. Pacella, Strom Law Firm, Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellee.