United States Fourth Circuit

Neither the general removal statute at 28 U.S.C.A. section 1441(a) nor the class-action removal provisions of 28 U.S.C.A. section 1453(b) permits a counter-defendant to remove a class action counterclaim to federal court.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/16/2008
• Published 12/16/2008

Judges

• Before WILLIAMS, Chief Judge, and NIEMEYER and KING, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Dan Himmelfarb, Mayer Brown, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Appellants.  Christopher James Regan, Bordas & Bordas, Wheeling, West Virginia, for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  William M. Connolly, Michael P. Daly, Drinker Biddle & Reath, L.L.P., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;  Jeffrey M. Wakefield, Christina S. Terek, Flaherty Sensabaugh & Bonasso, P.L.L.C., Charleston, West Virginia;  Evan M. Tager, Charles A. Rothfeld, Jack Wilson, Mayer Brown, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Appellants.  Jonathan Bridges, Susman Godfrey, L.L.P., Dallas, Texas;  William R.H. Merrill, Susman Godfrey, L.L.P., Houston, Texas, for Appellee.  Robin S. Conrad, Amar D. Sarwal, National Chamber Litigation Center, Inc., Washington, D.C.;  John H. Beisner, Jessica Davidson Miller, Charles E. Borden, Richard G. Rose, O'Melveny & Myers, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Amicus Supporting Appellants.  William David Wilmoth, Karen Elizabeth Kahle, Steptoe & Johnson, P.L.L.C., Wheeling, West Virginia;  Joseph Anthony Curia, III, Steptoe & Johnson, P.L.L.C., Charleston, West Virginia, for Palisades Collections, LLC, on the merits.