Opinion
Case No. 4:15-cv-155
03-03-2016
WPX Energy Williston, LLC, Plaintiffs, v. Hurricane Air & Swabbing Services, LLC, et. al., Defendants.
ORDER
This order is issued to permit the court to obtain the necessary information to determine whether diversity jurisdiction exists in this case. Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. James Neff Kramper Family Farm P'ship v. IBP, Inc., 393 F.3d 828, 834 (8th Cir. 2005). Subject matter jurisdiction cannot be waived, and if it appears that subject matter jurisdiction is lacking, the court is obligated to consider the issue sua sponte. Id.; see Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(h)(3) ("If the court determines at any time that it lacks subject-matter jurisdiction, the court must dismiss the action.")
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a), federal district courts have subject matter jurisdiction over civil actions between parties with complete diversity of citizenship where the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000. Complete diversity exists when no defendant is a citizen of the same state as any plaintiff. OnePoint Solutions, LLC v. Borchert, 486 F.3d 342, 346 (8th Cir. 2007). For purposes of diversity jurisdiction, a limited liability company's citizenship is determined by the citizenship of each of its members. GMAC Commercial Credit LLC v. Dillard Dep't Stores, Inc., 357 F.3d 827, 828-29 (8th Cir. 2004). Whether diversity exists is determined by the parties' citizenship at the time of filing. Scottsdale Ins. Co. v. Universal Crop Prot. Alliance, LLC, 620 F.3d 926, 931 (8th Cir. 2010) (citing Grupo Dataflux v. Atlas Global Group, L.P., 541 U.S. 567, 570-71 (2004)).
Consequently, in order to definitively determine whether there is complete diversity of citizenship between the parties, the court shall require the LLCs named as parties in this action to disclose the citizenship of their respective members by March 21, 2016.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated this 3rd day of March, 2016.
/s/ Charles S . Miller, Jr.
Charles S. Miller, Jr., Magistrate Judge
United States District Court