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MN Bar: Civil Procedure: Jurisdiction, Joinder, and Preclusion

MN Bar · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Civil Procedure: Jurisdiction, Joinder, and Preclusion

What the exam tests

Minnesota civil procedure questions blend the Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure with federal doctrine: subject-matter jurisdiction, personal jurisdiction, venue, pleading, joinder, discovery, summary judgment, and the preclusive effect of judgments. Expect hypotheticals that turn on one missing element, not broad policy.

Core rules

  • Federal subject-matter jurisdiction: 28 U.S.C. §1331 federal question; §1332 diversity requires complete diversity and more than $75,000. A corporation is a citizen of its state of incorporation and its principal place of business; an LLC takes the citizenship of its members.
  • Personal jurisdiction: minimum contacts plus fair play. General jurisdiction is at home (incorporation/PPB for corporations); specific jurisdiction requires purposeful availment and relatedness.
  • Venue under §1391: a district where any defendant resides if all defendants reside in the same state, or where a substantial part of events occurred.
  • Pleading: federal notice pleading after Twombly/Iqbal; Minnesota Rule 8.01 requires a short and plain statement.
  • Supplemental jurisdiction §1367; diversity limits in §1367(b).
  • Summary judgment: no genuine dispute of material fact, movant entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
  • Preclusion: claim preclusion requires same claim, same parties, final judgment on merits; issue preclusion requires actually litigated and necessary.

Worked example

P (Minnesota) sues D (Wisconsin) for breach of a $90,000 contract signed in Minnesota. Diversity exists: P and D are diverse and the amount exceeds $75,000. Venue is proper in the District of Minnesota because a substantial part of the events occurred there, even though D resides in Wisconsin. If P also sued D's Wisconsin LLC, whose members are Wisconsin citizens, complete diversity would fail.

Traps

Do not count interest and costs in the amount in controversy; do not treat an LLC as a corporation for citizenship; do not confuse venue with personal jurisdiction; remember §1367(b) bars certain supplemental claims by plaintiffs in diversity cases.