Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A procedural filing by which a defendant initiates removal of a civil action from state court to the appropriate federal district court. The notice must contain a short and plain statement of the grounds for removal and must be accompanied by copies of all process, pleadings, and orders served on the defendant in the state action.
Sources & Authorities
How it applies
Common Examples
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Defendant Files Complete Notice
Nobel Dynamics was served with a state-court complaint alleging breach of contract. Within thirty days Nobel Dynamics filed a notice of removal in the federal district court for the district where the state action was pending. The notice contained a short statement of diversity jurisdiction and attached copies of the summons, complaint, and all other papers served on it. The filing transferred the case to federal court.
Late Notice Filed After Service
Nathaniel Newman received the state-court summons and complaint on March 1. He filed a notice of removal in the proper federal district court on April 5. Because the notice was filed more than thirty days after receipt of the initial pleading, the federal court granted the plaintiff's timely motion to remand the case to state court.
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Statutes
Federal Rules
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Casebooks
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Later-Served Defendant Removes
Nexus Technologies and Northstar Logistics were named as defendants in the same state-court action. Nexus Technologies was served on March 1 and did not remove. Northstar Logistics was served on March 20 and filed a notice of removal within thirty days of its own service. The notice was timely as to Northstar Logistics.
Untimely Remand Motion Denied
Nadia Novak removed the state-court action by filing a notice of removal on April 10. The plaintiff discovered a procedural defect in the notice but waited until June 15 to move for remand. Because the motion was filed more than thirty days after the notice of removal, the federal court denied the motion and retained the case.
Common questions
Frequently Asked
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What must a notice of removal contain?+
The notice must include a short and plain statement of the grounds for removal and copies of all process, pleadings, and orders served on the defendant in the state action. It must be signed under Rule 11 and filed in the federal district court for the district and division where the state action is pending.
Supporting sources
When must a defendant file a notice of removal?+
A defendant must file the notice within thirty days after receipt through service or otherwise of the initial pleading or summons. Each defendant has its own thirty-day period measured from the date that defendant is served.
Supporting sources
What happens if a notice of removal is procedurally defective?+
A motion to remand based on a procedural defect other than lack of subject-matter jurisdiction must be made within thirty days after the notice of removal is filed. If the motion is timely, the federal court may remand the case or require correction of the defect.
Supporting sources
Must all defendants join in the notice of removal?+
When removal is based solely on section 1441(a), all defendants who have been properly joined and served must join in or consent to the removal. A later-served defendant may still remove, and earlier-served defendants may consent even if they did not previously join.
Supporting sources
519 U.S. 61 (1996)Civil Procedure
…Whayne Supply less than a year after filing his complaint. Shortly after learning of this agreement, Caterpillar filed a notice of removal, on June 21, 1990, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Grounding federal jurisdiction on diversity of citizenship, see 28 U. S. C. § 1332, Caterpillar…
Civil ProcedureJurisdiction and venue · Federal subject-matter jurisdiction (federal question, diversity, supplemental, and removal)UBEFoundational