Hartford Fire Ins. v. Kansas City, M. & O. Ry. Co. of Texas

251 F. 332, 1918 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 996
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedJune 12, 1918
DocketNo. 149
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 251 F. 332 (Hartford Fire Ins. v. Kansas City, M. & O. Ry. Co. of Texas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hartford Fire Ins. v. Kansas City, M. & O. Ry. Co. of Texas, 251 F. 332, 1918 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 996 (N.D. Tex. 1918).

Opinion

ERVIN, District Judge.

[1] This suit is brought in a state court for the loss of and injury to shipment of cattle from Ft. Stockton, in the state of Texas, to Casper, in the state of Wyoming. The case was removed to this court on the application of the defendant, on the ground that it is a suit arising under á law of the United States.

Section 28 of the Judicial Code provides that:

“Any suit of a civil nature, at law or in equity, arising under the Constitution or laws of the United States ~ '5 * of which the District Courts of the United States are given original jurisdiction by this title, which may now be pending or which may hereafter be brought, in any state- court, may be removed by the defendant or defendants therein to the District Court of tile United ’-States for the proper district.” Act March 3, 1911, c. 231, 30 Stat 1091 (Comp. St. 1916, § 1010).

In order to remove, therefore, two things must concur: Eirst, the suit must arise under the Constitution or a law of the United States; and, second, the federal court must have jurisdiction to try such suit.

Jurisdiction is the right to hear and determine a case, and in the instant case jurisdiction is given by section 24 of the Judicial Code, in the following words:

“The District Courts shall have original jurisdiction as follows: Of all suits of a civil nature, at common law or in equity, " ~ where the matter in controversy exceeds, exclusive of interest and costs, the sum or value of three thousand dollars, and (a) arises under the Constitution or laws of the United States.” Oom-p-. St. 391.6, § 991.

What is meant by the words “arising under” the laws of the United States? It is contended here that the case cannot be removed from the state court to the federal court, unless the petition or complaint filed in the state court shows that there is a dispute or controversy as to the proper meaning or construction of a federal law; that this is the meaning of the term “arising under” a federal law; that it is not enough that the federal law controls or regulates the right of recovery. Is it necessary, therefore, for there to be a dispute as to the construction of the statute in order to make a suit “arise” thereunder? It does not seem so to me. It seems to me a suit arises under a law when it is brought to enforce the provisions of or liability thereby given, or is controlled as to the right of recovery by the provisions of such law. To say it does not arise under a law, unless there is a dis[334]*334pute as to the construction or meaning of the law, seems to me to be a misnomer; for, if it'is held that .the law does not apply to the facts set up, then such suit cannot arise under it, but must arise under some other law. Thus a case would be removed, not because it arose under a federal law, but to determine whether it did or did not so arise. The statute does not so read.

It seems to me the contention defeats itself, because the right of removal would depend not upon whether the cause of action arose under a federal law, but would depend upon whether there was a dispute as to whether the federal law applied to the facts or did not apply to the facts. This would be an entirely different ground for removal from that named in the act. The act does not say a case may be removed if there be doubt as to whether, the federal law controls; but, on the contrary, it is specific that there is a right to remove if the controversy arises under a federal law. If, therefore, the holding should be that the provisions of the law did apply and control, then certainly the suit does arise under it. Therefore it follows that, -if its removability is to depend on whether there be a dispute as to the meaning of the law, then where the holding is that its terms do not apply this would also require a decision that the federal court has no jurisdiction, and such suit, though removed, must be dismissed. This result must necessarily follow, because the same term, “arise” under the Constitution or laws of the United States, is used in both the statute conferring jurisdiction and that providing for removal, so that the court would have no jurisdiction to remove unless it would also have jurisdiction to. try.

Again: It would be presumed that the term “arising under,” where used in various places in the act, would naturally be given the same construction in each place, unless the context was such as to necessarily require a different construction. Section 24 of the Judicial Code, after making the provision above quoted and then providing as to various other causes for jurisdiction, concludes as follows:

“Provided, however, that the foregoing provision as to the sum or value of the matter in controversy shall not be construed to apply to any of the cases mentioned in the succeeding paragraphs of this section.”
“Fifth. Of all cases arising under any law providing for internal revenue', or from revenue from imports or tonnage, except those cases arising under any law providing revenue from imports, jurisdiction of which has been conferred upon the Court of Customs Appeals.
“Sixth. Of all cases arising under the postal laws.
“Seventh. Of all suits at law or .in equity arising under the patent, the copyright, and the trade-mark laws.
“Kighth. Of all suits and proceedings arising under any law regulating commerce, except those suits and proceedings exclusive jurisdiction of which has been conferred upon the Commerce Court.”

In the face of the provisions contained in these paragraphs of section 24, would it be contended that, if a suit should be brought in a state court under the provisions of the federal laws regulating internal revenue, or postal laws, or the patent laws, or the law regulating commerce, the District Court would have no right to remove it or to try it after removal?. Yet the same term, “arising under,” is used in each of these paragraphs as conferring jurisdiction upon the court. No [335]*335one will deny that the federal court has no jurisdiction to remove a case if it has not jurisdiction to try it after being removed, for such a trial would be a mere nullity.

Now, taking up some of the cases which are cited by the movant as supporting the proposition above stated, let us make a number of quotations from them, and see whether the quotations so made are not in conflict with the contention made. In C., R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. Martin, 178 U. S. 250, 20 Sup. Ct. 856, 44 L. Ed. 1055, and Carson v. Dunham, 121 U. S. 426, 7 Sup. Ct. 1030, 30 L. Ed. 992, it is said:

“Before, therefore, a Circuit Court can bo required; to retain a cause under this jurisdiction, it must in some form appear upon the record, by a statement of tacts, ‘in legal and logical form,’ such as is required in good pleading, that the suit is one which really and substantially involves a dispute or controversy as to a right which depends upon the construction or «fleet of the Constitution, or some law or treaty of the United States.”

In State of Tennessee v. Union & Planters’ Bank, 152 U. S. 460, 14 Sup. Ct. 656, 38 L. Ed. 511, it is said:

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Bluebook (online)
251 F. 332, 1918 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 996, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hartford-fire-ins-v-kansas-city-m-o-ry-co-of-texas-txnd-1918.