Logourl black
From our private database of 13,800+ case briefs...

Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Allapattah

United States Supreme Court
545 U.S. 546 (2005)

Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Allapattah

Facts

The United States Supreme Court consolidated two cases to resolve a split in the circuits regarding amount-in-controversy in diversity cases. The first case, Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Allapattah (2005), involved a class action of 10,000 Exxon dealers who brought suit against Exxon, alleging that the company was overcharging them for fuel. Some of the dealers’ damages did not rise to the amount required for diversity jurisdiction, but the district court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit allowed joinder, holding that the unnamed members of a class action suit were not all required to meet the amount-in-controversy requirement, so long as at least one plaintiff did. The second case involved a nine-year-old girl who sued Starkist based on the unusually serious injuries she endured when she cut herself on a tuna can. She attempted to join her parents as plaintiffs as well, but the district court held that none of the parties had damages to the level of the jurisdictional amount. On appeal, the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit found that while the parents’ damages were below the jurisdictional amount and therefore could not be properly joined, the girl’s damages were sufficient. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari to resolve the split.

Rule of Law

The rule of law is the black letter law upon which the court rested its decision. To access this section, start your 7-day free trial of Quimbee for Law Students.

Issue

The issue section includes the dispositive legal issue in the case phrased as a question. To access this section, start your 7-day free trial of Quimbee for Law Students.

Holding and Reasoning (Kennedy, J.)

The holding and reasoning section includes:

  • A “yes” or “no” answer to the question framed in the issue section;
  • A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
  • The procedural disposition (e.g. reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

To access this section, start your 7-day free trial of Quimbee for Law Students.

Dissent (Ginsburg, J.)

The dissent section is for members only and includes a summary of the dissenting judge or justice’s opinion. To access this section, start your 7-day free trial of Quimbee for Law Students.

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 97,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students. Read our student testimonials.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students. Read more about Quimbee.

Here's why 166,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 13,800 briefs, keyed to 187 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
Access This Case Brief for Free
With a 7-Day Free Trial Membership

Here's why 166,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners not other law students.
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet.
  • 13,800 briefs - keyed to 187 casebooks.
  • Uniform format for every case brief.
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language.
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions.
  • Ability to tag case briefs in an outlining tool.
  • Top-notch customer support.