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Additional Counterclaim Defendant May Not Remove under 28 U.S.C. § 1441 (General) or § 1453 (CAFA)

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An additional counterclaim defendant is not a “defendant” within the meaning of the removal statutes, under Palisades Collections LLC v. Shorts, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 25165 (4th Cir. Dec. 16, 2008):

This case presents an issue of first impression — whether a party joined as a defendant to a counterclaim (the "additional counter-defendantmay remove the case to federal court solely because the counterclaim satisfies the jurisdictional requirements of the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 ("CAFA"), Pub. L. 109-2, 119 Stat. 4 (codified in scattered sections of Title 28 of the United States Code). We hold that neither 28 U.S.C.A. § 1441(a) ... nor 28 U.S.C.A § 1453(b) ... permits removal by such a party.

***

[A]n additional counter-defendant is not a "defendant" for purposes of § 1441(a). See, e.g., Capitalsource Fin., L.L.C. v. THI of Columbus, Inc., 411 F. Supp. 2d 897, 900 (S.D. Ohio 2005) (concluding that "additional counterclaim defendants . . . are not defendants within the meaning of the removal statute . . . [and] do not have statutory authority . . . to remove this case"); Dartmouth Plan, Inc. v. Delgado, 736 F. Supp. 1489, 1492 (N.D. Ill. 1990) ("But just as a third-party has no special rights to remove, neither does a nonplaintiff counterdefendant. A counterdefendant is not a defendant joined in the original action and therefore not a party that can remove a state action to federal court."); Tindle v. Ledbetter, 627 F. Supp. 406, 407 (M.D. La. 1986) (noting that because the Justices, who were joined as defendants on the counterclaim under Louisiana's procedural equivalent to Fed. R. Civ. P. 13(h), "are [additional] counterclaim defendants, they cannot remove this suit to federal court"); see also 16 James W. Moore et al., Moore's Federal Practice § 107.11 [1] [b] [iv] (3d ed. 1998) (noting that the "better view" is that counter-defendants, cross-claim defendants, and third-party defendants "are not defendants within the meaning of [§ 1441(a)]").

Congress has shown the ability to clearly extend the reach of removal statutes to include counter-defendants, cross-claim defendants, or third-party defendants, see 28 U.S.C. § 1452(a) (West 2006) ("A party may remove any claim or cause of action . . . [related to bankruptcy cases]." (emphasis added)). In crafting § 1441(a), however, Congress made the choice to refer only to "the defendant or the defendants," a choice we must respect. ***

[T]here is no indication in the language of § 1453(b) (or in the limited legislative history) that Congress intended to alter the traditional rule that only an original defendant may remove and to somehow transform an additional counter-defendant ... into a "defendant" with the power to remove. Reading § 1453(b) to also allow removal by counter-defendants, cross-claim defendants, and third-party defendants is simply more than the language of § 1453(b) can bear.

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New York Attorneys JHA handles range the gamut of complex financial and commercial litigation and arbitration, including securities, RICO, corporate and contract disputes, credit default swaps, derivatives, and class, mass, and derivative actions. The firm also represents law firms in major disputes.
New York Attorneys JHA handles range the gamut of complex financial and commercial litigation and arbitration, including securities, RICO, corporate and contract disputes, credit default swaps, derivatives, and class, mass, and derivative actions. The firm also represents law firms in major disputes.

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