The Fourth Circuit Bounces Express Check Class Action Back to State Court Based on Lack of Diversity Jurisdiction
By Christopher Loveland
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Ferrell v. Express Check Advance of South Carolina, LLC (No. 09-2401) examined the citizenship of limited liability companies for purposes of diversity jurisdiction in a class action. The Plaintiff in Ferrell, a citizen of South Carolina, commenced a class action lawsuit on behalf of “other South Carolina citizens” against four “payday loan” businesses in South Carolina state court. The lawsuit alleged that defendants’ payday loans violated various South Carolina laws. One of the defendants, Express Check Advance of South Carolina, LLC (“Express Check”), removed the case to the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina on diversity grounds, contending that it was a citizen of Missouri and Kansas, and not a citizen of South Carolina.
