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Simple English definitions for legal terms
ancillary jurisdiction
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A quick definition of ancillary jurisdiction:
Term: Ancillary Jurisdiction
Definition: Ancillary jurisdiction is when a federal court can hear a claim that is related to another claim that is within its jurisdiction. This means that even if the court doesn't normally have the power to hear the claim, it can if it is closely connected to another claim that it can hear. For example, if someone is suing for breach of contract, the court may also be able to hear a related claim for fraud, even if fraud is not normally something the court can hear. This is called ancillary jurisdiction.
A more thorough explanation:
Ancillary jurisdiction is a legal term that refers to the ability of a federal court to hear a claim that would normally be outside of its subject-matter jurisdiction if it is substantially related to a second claim that is within the court's jurisdiction.
For example, if a person files a lawsuit in federal court claiming that they were injured in a car accident, the court may also have ancillary jurisdiction to hear a related claim for property damage resulting from the same accident. This is because the property damage claim is substantially related to the main claim of personal injury.
In order for a claim to come within a federal court's ancillary jurisdiction, it must bear a logical relationship to the aggregate core of operative facts of the main claim. Additionally, the main claim must meet the requirements of federal question jurisdiction or diversity jurisdiction.
An example of a case that involved ancillary jurisdiction is Hendrickson v. U.S. In this case, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the government for wrongful termination. The court found that it had ancillary jurisdiction to hear the plaintiff's related claim for breach of contract because it was substantially related to the main claim of wrongful termination.