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LSDefine

Simple English definitions for legal terms

amount in controversy

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A quick definition of amount in controversy:

Amount in controversy: The amount of money a person is asking for in a lawsuit. This can also include the value of non-monetary things like an injunction. If someone wants to sue in a court that handles cases between people from different states, they need to ask for more than $75,000. The court will believe them unless the other side can prove they can't get that much. Sometimes, people can add up multiple claims to reach the $75,000. Class action lawsuits need to ask for more than $5,000,000. Some state courts have their own rules about how much money someone can ask for.

A more thorough explanation:

Amount in controversy refers to the amount of money or value of a non-monetary remedy that a plaintiff seeks in a lawsuit. It is important because it determines whether a case can be heard in a particular court.

For a case to be heard in district court on grounds of diversity jurisdiction, the amount in controversy a plaintiff pleads must exceed $75,000. This means that if a person is suing someone from a different state, they can only do so in federal court if they are seeking more than $75,000. For example, if someone from California is suing someone from New York for $100,000, they can file their lawsuit in federal court.

John, who lives in California, is suing Jane, who lives in New York, for $80,000. John can file his lawsuit in federal court because the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.

As established by the Class Action Fairness Act, a district court only has jurisdiction over a class action if the amount in controversy exceeds $5,000,000. This means that if a group of people are suing a company for damages, they can only do so in federal court if the total amount they are seeking exceeds $5,000,000.

A group of 500 people are suing a company for $10,000 each, for a total of $5,000,000. They can file their lawsuit in federal court because the amount in controversy exceeds $5,000,000.

State courts also have amount in controversy requirements, usually appearing in the form of tiered court systems. This means that depending on the amount being sought, a case may only be heard in a certain court.

In Massachusetts, small claims court only has jurisdiction over cases where the amount in controversy does not exceed $7,000. This means that if someone is seeking damages of $10,000, they cannot file their lawsuit in small claims court.

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19:08
@BulbasaurNoLikeCardio: baby is out?! Congratulations Bulb&Bulbs wifey!!
Dkk
19:22
@BulbasaurNoLikeCardio: Oh, I missed that. Nice and congrats!
BulbasaurNoLikeCardio
19:34
Yes she is, thank you everyone. She is a perfect little baby bulbasaur. Just waiting to get her all that law school swag so she can flex on other babies.
jackfrost11770
20:00
CONGRATSSSS
glove
20:56
My dick fell off
21:00
@glove: feelsbadman.exe
windyMagician
21:21
let me hold it for you
21:40
^Typical UMich student, always offering a hand to those in need
21:45
hey y’all if i applied on dec 12 (yes ik i applied a little late), to st. john’s, hofstra, nyls, brooklyn, cardozo, i miami - when do you think i’ll start to hear back. i have 164 and 3.91
21:46
i would be hard pressed if you did not hear back from most by feb1, imho
thatsmyline
21:49
let the jan decisions bloodbath commence
@getmoney: mid feb to march. april for the stragglers
22:13
awwww bulb is a dad now
HeadyInvincibleRabbit
22:14
does anyone know what the hopes are for those that are deferred? i got deferred from nyu ed with pretty low stats so i'm confused as to whether I should be hopeful or upset
22:21
youll probably be waitlisted then bc they dont usually waitlist ED on the spot
22:21
you could be hopeful and waitlist is something to be hopeful about
HeadyInvincibleRabbit
22:22
yea i'm trying to stay positively bc both my lsat and gpa were below the q25 but still somehow didn't get straight up rejected
22:42
i also dont think its rare to get deferred, a lot of ppl got deferred this cycle from what i heard simply bc nyu didnt make it to their application by the ED deadline
Dkk
0:19
@getmoney: psshh could be this week.
Dkk
0:20
Welcome to the night shift of the REAL cycle.
1:06
ive fallen in love w 2 law schools thus far this application cycle - northwestern and michigan
1:06
like as i was researching for the why x essays i rly loved these
1:06
i wanna go to the midwest but i also wanna be somewhere progressive hmmm
1:06
maybe ill just stay in la i love it here
Dkk
1:10
I wanna be at Scalia law.
Dkk
1:11
I would consider Michigan but not northwestern
1:16
why
1:16
what about uchicago too
Dkk
1:51
U chicago yeah but Northwestern seems like a mess given that whole scandal thing.
Dkk
1:52
The whole no white guys hiring thing. Not for me cus I am a white guy!
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