Here is a unique way to stay out of Federal Court. It is applicable to suing a Lloyd’s of London insuring entity. The case is a 2021, opinion from the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division. It is styled, Certain Underwriters At Lloyd’s, London Subscribing Severally To Policy No. B0595NOHW46387019 v. Block Multifamily Group, LLC D/B/A Block Multifamily Power Group.
Following an insurance dispute with Lloyd’s, Block filed a lawsuit in a State Court. Lloyd’s removed the case to Federal Court , and then Block filed a motion to remand, which is the subject of this opinion.
Defendant removed the case to this Court on the basis of diversity jurisdiction, alleging that Plaintiffs are foreign citizens of England and that Defendant is a citizen of Missouri. Defendant further alleged that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000 because the value of the underlying dispute based on Plaintiffs’ own estimate is at least $177,023.21. Shortly thereafter, Plaintiffs filed their Motion to Remand on the ground that Defendant has improperly conflated Lloyd’s of London—a specific entity—with the Plaintiffs in this case—over 1,600 individual underwriters or “Names.” Relying on Corfield v. Dallas Glen Hills, L.P., 355 F.3d 853 (5th Cir. 2003), Plaintiffs explain the distinction as follows: