Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railway Co. v. Swan

111 U.S. 379 (1884)

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Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railway Co. v. Swan

United States Supreme Court
111 U.S. 379 (1884)

  • Written by Heather Whittemore, JD

Facts

In 1874 John Swan, S. C. Rose, and their associates (collectively, Swan, Rose & Co.) (plaintiffs) sued Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railway Co. (Mansfield) (defendant) for breach of contract in state court. At the time, Mansfield was organized under Ohio law, and one member of Swan, Rose, & Co.—Robert H. McMann—was a citizen of Ohio. In 1879 Mansfield filed a motion to remove the case to United States circuit court. Mansfield argued that McMann had moved from Ohio to another state, and as a result, federal diversity jurisdiction existed. Mansfield’s motion to remove was granted. Later, Swan, Rose & Co. sought to remand the case back to state court, claiming that the circuit court did not have jurisdiction to hear the case. Swan, Rose & Co.’s motion was denied. After a trial, the circuit court ruled in favor of Swan, Rose & Co. Mansfield appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Matthews, J.)

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