Civil Procedure Overview

I. Subject Matter Jurisdiction (SMJ)

A. Federal Question (28 U.S.C. §1331)

• Arises under federal law: plaintiff’s well-pleaded complaint must rely on federal law (Louisville & Nashville R.R. v. Mottley).

B. Diversity Jurisdiction (28 U.S.C. §1332)

• Complete diversity: No plaintiff may share state citizenship with any defendant (Strawbridge v. Curtiss).

• Amount in controversy: > $75,000, based on good faith claim.

C. Supplemental Jurisdiction (28 U.S.C. §1367)

• Federal court may hear non-federal claims arising from the same case or controversy (common nucleus of operative fact – United Mine Workers v. Gibbs).

• Limitations in diversity cases (e.g., no supplemental jurisdiction over claims by plaintiffs against non-diverse parties under §1367(b)).

D. Removal Jurisdiction (28 U.S.C. §1441)

• D may remove to federal court if case could originally be brought there.

• In diversity cases, no removal if D is a citizen of the forum state (§1441(b)(2)).

II. Personal Jurisdiction (PJ)

A. Constitutional Due Process

• Satisfies International Shoe Co. v. Washington:

  • Minimum contacts + fairness.

  • Relatedness (specific vs. general jurisdiction).

  • Purposeful availment + foreseeability (WW Volkswagen, Burger King).

  • Fair play and substantial justice: burden on D, interest of forum, etc.

B. Types of PJ

C. Traditional Bases (Pennoyer v. Neff)

• Physical presence (tag), consent, domicile, waiver.

III. Venue

A. Proper Venue (28 U.S.C. §1391)

• District where:

  1. Any D resides, if all Ds reside in same state, or

  2. Substantial part of events or property is located, or

  3. Fallback: any district where D is subject to PJ.

B. Transfer (§1404 & §1406)

• §1404: Proper venue, but more convenient forum available.

• §1406: Improper venue—court may dismiss or transfer.

IV. Erie Doctrine (Erie Railroad v. Tompkins)

A. Key Principle

• Federal court sitting in diversity must apply state substantive law and federal procedural law.

B. Erie Analysis

1. Is there a federal rule/statute on point?

   • If yes and valid under Rules Enabling Act → apply federal rule.

2. If no federal rule:

   • Apply state law if:

     • Substantive (outcome determinative – Guaranty Trust).

     • Encourages forum shopping (Hanna v. Plumer).

     • Tied to state-created rights or obligations (Byrd balancing test).

V. Pleadings and Motions

A. Complaint (FRCP 8(a))

• Short and plain statement of jurisdiction, claim, and relief.

• Twiqbal Standard (Twombly/Iqbal): Complaint must be plausible, not just conceivable.

B. Motions

VI. Joinder and Class Actions

A. Joinder of Claims/Parties

• FRCP 18: Unlimited joinder of claims.

• FRCP 20: Permissive joinder of parties if claims arise out of same transaction or occurrence and common question of law/fact.

B. Required Joinder (FRCP 19)

• Party must be joined if feasible and necessary for just adjudication.

C. Impleader (FRCP 14)

• D brings in third party for contribution/indemnity.

D. Intervention (FRCP 24)

• Third party joins suit either as of right or permissively.

E. Interpleader (FRCP 22; 28 U.S.C. §1335)

• Resolves competing claims to the same property.

F. Class Actions (FRCP 23)

• Prerequisites (23(a)):

  1. Numerosity

  2. Commonality

  3. Typicality

  4. Adequacy

• Types (23(b)):

  • (b)(1): Risk of inconsistent adjudication

  • (b)(2): Injunctive relief

  • (b)(3): Damages – requires predominance + superiority

VII. Discovery (FRCP 26–37)

A. Scope

• Relevant, nonprivileged information, proportional to needs of the case.

B. Required Disclosures

• Initial disclosures, expert reports, pretrial disclosures.

C. Tools

• Depositions (Rule 30), interrogatories (Rule 33), requests for production (Rule 34), requests for admission (Rule 36), mental/physical exams (Rule 35).

D. Sanctions (Rule 37)

• Court may issue sanctions for failure to comply with discovery orders.

VIII. Pretrial Adjudication

A. Default Judgment (FRCP 55)

• Entered when D fails to respond; court may assess damages.

B. Summary Judgment (FRCP 56)

• No genuine dispute of material fact; movant entitled to judgment as matter of law.

C. Voluntary/Involuntary Dismissals (Rule 41)

IX. Trial and Post-Trial Motions

A. Jury Trial (7th Amendment)

• Right to jury in federal civil cases where legal (not equitable) relief is sought.

B. Judgment as a Matter of Law (JMOL / Rule 50)

• Can be moved for after opposing party rests or after verdict (Renewed JMOL = JNOV).

C. Motion for New Trial (Rule 59)

• May be granted for legal error, misconduct, or against the weight of evidence.

X. Appeals (28 U.S.C. §1291 & §1292)

A. Final Judgment Rule (§1291)

• Appeal only from final decisions (ends litigation on merits).

B. Interlocutory Appeals (§1292)

• Allowed for injunctive orders, controlling legal questions.

XI. Claim and Issue Preclusion

A. Claim Preclusion (Res Judicata)

1. Same claim (transactional test)

2. Final judgment on the merits

3. Same parties or privies

B. Issue Preclusion (Collateral Estoppel)

1. Same issue actually litigated and determined

2. Necessary to judgment

3. Same party (or defensive/offensive use if fair)

Exam Tips: IRAC Pattern

1. Identify Federal Jurisdiction (SMJ + PJ + venue)

2. Apply pleading standards: plausibility, sufficiency

3. Spot discovery or joinder problems

4. Outline procedural posture: motions, trial, appeals

5. Check for preclusion effects

Key Case References