Occidental Chemical Corp. v. Bullard

Plaintiff Occidental Chemical Corporation (“Occidental”) sued John Wade Bullard and others (collectively “Bullard”) in federal district court for specific performance of a contract to sell a parcel of land. Subject matter jurisdiction was alleged to arise under 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a) by virtue of diverse citizenship of the parties. The district court concluded that Occidental had failed to show that the amount in controversy exceeded the $50,000 required in diversity cases and dismissed the complaint for lack of jurisdiction. Occidental appealed; we reverse.

I.Facts Alleged

Occidental secured from…