Reed v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Company
- Laurel Beeler
- 4:25-cv-04045
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 1
In Richard Reed v. Deutsche Bank, Judge Tigar remanded Reed’s self-removed case to state court because a plaintiff cannot remove an action he filed there.
Richard Reed and Deutsche Bank National Trust Company; the case was returned to the Alameda County Superior Court, and the federal file was closed.
What happened
Richard Reed v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Company began in Alameda County Superior Court. Reed then attempted to move the case to federal court himself.
The federal court held that a plaintiff who filed a case in state court does not have the right to remove that same case to federal court. It said Reed’s notice of removal had no legal effect.
Judge Tigar ordered the case sent back to Alameda County Superior Court and directed the Clerk to close the federal file. The order did not decide the underlying dispute.
The detailed version
- Reed v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Company · No. 4:25-cv-04045
- Laurel Beeler
- Oct. 27, 2025
Background
Richard Reed originally filed this action in Alameda County Superior Court. He later removed the action to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on May 9, 2025.
Court’s Analysis
The court relied on the rule that a plaintiff who chose to file an action in state court does not have the right to remove that action to federal court. The court therefore concluded that Reed’s notice of removal was without effect.
Ruling
Judge Jon S. Tigar ordered that the case be remanded to the Alameda County Superior Court. The Clerk was directed to close the federal file. The order did not address the merits of the underlying dispute between Reed and Deutsche Bank National Trust Company.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.