Chicago, R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. Stephens

218 F. 535, 134 C.C.A. 263, 1914 U.S. App. LEXIS 1565
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit·Decided December 8, 1914·No. No. 2492·Published·Cited by 17 cases

Opinion

WARRINGTON, Circuit Judge.

The railroad company seeks to reverse a judgment and set aside a verdict recovered against it for personal injuries sustained by Mrs. Stephens. The action was originally brought by Mrs. Stephens against the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company and the receivers of the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad Company. The receivers appeared specially by motion to dismiss the action as to them and their company, on the grounds that the company did not own or operate a railroad in Tennessee, and that the service attempted to be made upon them was insufficient. The motion [538] was granted as to service, and Mrs. Stephens then filed an amendment to her declaration, stating her complaint against the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. Railroad Company alone.

[1-3] 1. Jurisdiction. Although eleven assignments are presented with the writ of error, defendant’s counsel in their brief attempt to waive all of them except the first, sixth, and eleventh. This waiver is effective without doubt, save as to the second. That assignment is based upon a claim of error in entering judgment against defendant “for the reason that it does not appear in proof” that defendant “was a nonresident of the state of Tennessee,” and upon the further claim that the declaration alleges that defendant “was a resident of the state of Arkansas, but fails to allege that it was a nonresident of Tennessee.” It is the duty of the court to consider the question thus presented, in spite of the failure of counsel to argue it or the effort to waive it, because jurisdiction cannot be acquired by consent, nor be presumed; it must affirmatively appear upon the face of the record. M. C. & L. M. Ry. Co. v. Swan, 111 U. S. 379, 382, 4 Sup. Ct. 510, 28 L. Ed. 462; Thomas v. Board of Trustees, 195 U. S. 207, 211, 25 Sup. Ct. 24, 49 L. Ed. 160; Nichols Lumber Co. v. Franson, 203 U. S. 278, 282, 27 Sup. Ct. 102, 51 L. Ed. 181; Chi., B. & Q. Ry. Co. v. Willard, 220 U. S. 413, 419, 31 Sup. Ct. 460, 55 L. Ed. 521. Jurisdiction was invoked and rested only on the ground of diversity of citizenship. It is plain enough from the pleadings and proofs that Mrs. Stephens is a citizen of Tennessee and a resident of Memphis; but difficulty arises with respect to the Rock Island Company. It is alleged in the declaration that the company is “a corporation existing and doing business in the state of Arkansas and Tennessee,” and, in the amendment, that the company “is a citizen of the state of Arkansas; * * * that the said railroad company is a corporation * * * operating a line of railroad from Wheatley, Ark., into Memphis, Tenn.” In the summons issued against the railroad it is stated that the Rock Island Company is “a citizen of (the) state of Arkansas.” Nothing further appears in the record tending to show the corporate character or place of origin of the company; indeed, these facts do not seem to have been regarded as important elements of the issues. The trouble with the allegations of the declaration is that they would not, if admitted, be sufficient under the authorities to justify taking jurisdiction of the action; for they charge that the company is “a corporation existing and doing business in the state of Arkansas and Tennessee.” This might be true, and still the .corporation might not have been created under the laws of either of those states, or it might have been only in virtue of the laws of Tennessee of which state the plaintiff is a citizen. The allegations of the amendment, however, amount to an assertion that the company is a corporation and a citizen of the state of Arkansas, and, if admitted, it might be said with much show of reason that this is tantamount to alleging that the company was organized as a corporation under and according to the laws of Arkansas; for in no other way could the corporation be a “citizen” of that state within the meaning of the federal jurisdictional clauses touching controversies or suits of a civil 'nature “between citizens of dif[539] ferent states” article 3, § 2, Const.; section 24, Judicial Code.1 Still, the corporate character of defendant is neither admitted nor proved here; and according to the controlling decisions an allegation that a corporation is a citizen of a given state is not sufficient to show jurisdiction. La Fayette Ins. Co. v. French, 59 U. S. (18 How.) 404, 405, 15 L. Ed. 451; Muller v. Dows, 94 U. S. 444, 445, 27 L. Ed. 207. See, also, American Sugar Refining Co. v. Johnson, 60 Fed. 503, 511, 9 C. C. A. 110 (C. C. A., 5th Cir.); Atlantic Coast Line Co. v. Whilden, 195 Fed. 263, 115 C. C. A. 254 (C. C. A., 5th Cir.); Parker Washington Co. v. Cramer, 201 Fed. 878, 879, 120 C. C. A. 216 (C. C. A., 7th Cir.); United States v. New York S. S. Co., 216 Fed. 61, 63, 132 C. C. A. 305 (C. C. A., 2d Cir.). 2

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Chicago, R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. Stephens, 218 F. 535, 134 C.C.A. 263, 1914 U.S. App. LEXIS 1565 (6th Cir. 1914).

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