Griffin v. Lee

Fifth Circuit

621 F.3d 380 (2010)

Relevant factsFree

Attorney Robert Lee (plaintiff), a Louisiana citizen, represented Sylvester Griffin (plaintiff), a Mississippi citizen, in a diversity suit against JPMorgan Chase (a Delaware and New York citizen) and other defendants who included Louisiana citizens; after withdrawing from representing Griffin, Lee intervened seeking $16,000 in attorney's fees secured by a lien on the trust, and the district court awarded him that amount, prompting Griffin's appeal challenging jurisdiction over Lee's intervening claim.

IssueFree

Whether a federal court sitting in diversity has supplemental jurisdiction over a plaintiff-intervenor's claim that does not independently satisfy the requirements of diversity jurisdiction.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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