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Civil Procedure Keyed to Field
Ruhrgas AG v. Marathon Oil Co.
Citation:
526 U.S. 574, 119 S.Ct. 1563Facts
Marathon Oil C0. (Plaintiff) contracted to sell 70% of its share of gas production in the Heimal Field to a group of European buyers, including Ruhrgas AG (Defendant). Marathon Oil Co. filed suit against Ruhrgas in Texas state court, asserting state-law claims of fraud, tortious interference, breach of fiduciary duties, and civil conspiracy. Ruhrgas removed the case to Texas federal district court, asserting three bases for federal jurisdiction. The federal district court dismissed the case for lack of personal jurisdiction. On appeal, the Fifth Circuit held that in removed cases, district courts must decide issues of subject-matter jurisdiction first, and turn to personal jurisdiction only if subject-matter jurisdiction is found to exist. The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari.
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