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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

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Matthews, J.)

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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.).

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