14 Ga. App. 73 | Ga. Ct. App. | 1913
On March. 1, 1913, the plaintiff filed in the city court of Americus a suit for damages against the defendant, a corporation chartered under the laws of Tennessee. Damages were laid in the sum of $5,000. The petition was made' returnable to. the June term, 1913. After service of the petition the defendant, on June 9, 1913, caused to be mailed to counsel of record for the plaintiff a written notice that at the appearance term of the case, on June 16, the plaintiff would file a petition to remove the cause to the district court of the United States for the southern district of Georgia, upon the ground of diverse citizenship. On receipt of this notice the plaintiff, on June 13, during vacation, filed in the office of the clerk of the city court of Americus an amendment to the petition, reducing the ad damnum below $3,000. On June 16, upon the convening of the appearance term of the court, the defendant filed its petition for removal, attaching thereto the bond; both the petition and the bond being in conformity with the acts of Congress upon the subject. On the same day the plaintiff asked that the amendment which had been filed on June 13 be allowed by the court. The defendant objected to the allowance of this amendment and insisted that an order be granted removing the case to the Federal court. The court allowed the amendment and denied the petition for removal.
Section 29 of the Judicial Code of the United States (act of March 3, 1911, c. 231, 36 Stat. 1905, U. S. Comp. Stat. Supp. 1911, p. 142) is as follows: “Whenever any party entitled to remove any suit mentioned in the last preceding section, except suits removable on the grounds of prejudice or local influence, may desire to remove such suit from a State court to the district court of the United States, he may make and file a petition, duly verified, in
Where a suit is removable, and a petition for removal and the bond as required by the United States statute are filed and the provisions of the Federal law are otherwise complied with, the jurisdiction of the State court ceases and that of the Federal court immediately attaches. The State court has power only to pass upon the sufficiency of the petition for removal and of the bond filed therewith. National Steamship Co. v. Tugman, 106 U. S. 118 (1 Sup. Ct. 58, 27 L. ed. 87); Boatsman Bank v. Fitzlen, 135
It is true, as pointed out by counsel for the defendant in error, that in many instances in this State amendments are allowed as a matter of right, and, when offered in accordance with the rules applicable thereto, must be allowed by the court; and terms can not be imposed on the party applying for leave to amend, unless there has been negligence with respect to the matter of amendment. Barrett v. Pasco, 90 Ga. 826 (17 S. E. 117). Counsel for the defendant in error relies on the decision of the Supreme Court in Strange v. Barrow, 65 Ga. 23. In that case the plaintiff offered to establish 'an amendment which he claimed -had been lost since the preceding term, at which term the amendment had been allowed by the court, binder the showing made to establish the lost paper, it appeared that the amendment had been allowed at a previous term of the court, but no entry of the previous allowance of the amendment appeared on the bench docket, nor was there any order on the minutes allowing the amendment. The court refused to allow it