Garnere v. Medline Industries, L.P.
- Vincent Briccetti
- 7:23-cv-01592
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Garnere v. Medline Industries, Judge Briccetti ordered clarification of Medline’s citizenship before deciding whether federal jurisdiction exists.
Nathan Garnere, the other people he seeks to represent, and Medline Industries, L.P.; the court’s order requires Garnere to provide information about Medline’s partner citizenship.
What happened
In Garnere v. Medline Industries, L.P., Nathan Garnere brought a proposed class action under the Class Action Fairness Act. The complaint alleged that Medline Industries, L.P. is an Illinois limited partnership with its principal place of business in Northfield, Illinois.
The court explained that a limited partnership’s citizenship depends on the citizenship of each general and limited partner, not its state of formation or principal place of business. The complaint did not identify the citizenship of Medline’s partners.
Judge Briccetti ordered Garnere to submit a letter by March 7, 2023, clarifying Medline’s citizenship so the court could determine whether the required diversity for federal jurisdiction exists. The order did not decide the merits of the case.
The detailed version
- Garnere v. Medline Industries, L.P. · No. 7:23-cv-01592
- Vincent Briccetti
- Feb. 28, 2023
Background
Nathan Garnere brought this action individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated. The complaint invoked subject-matter jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1332(d).
Jurisdictional issue
For jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act, the plaintiff must show that at least one class member is a citizen of a different state from any defendant. The court explained that a limited partnership has the citizenship of each of its general and limited partners. Therefore, the defendant’s state of formation and principal place of business do not establish its citizenship for this purpose.
The complaint alleged that Medline Industries, L.P. is an Illinois limited partnership with its principal place of business in Northfield, Illinois. But it did not identify the citizenship of each of Medline’s general and limited partners.
Ruling
The court ordered Nathan Garnere to submit a letter by March 7, 2023, clarifying Medline’s citizenship so the court could determine whether the required diversity exists. The opinion did not decide whether subject-matter jurisdiction exists and did not address the merits of the underlying claims.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.