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Hon. Marsha J. Pachman
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SEATTLE
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NWAS OKLAHOMA, INC., an Oklahoma
corporation; WATER LOCATORS, LLC, a
Montana limited liability company; TOBIAS
TAYLOR and REGINA TAYLOR; TORREY
GRUBBS and LORRIE GRUBBS; DALE
SCOTT and JANE SCOTT; DAN HOLT and
SHANNON HOLT; and JESSE J. PIKE,
RICHARD D. KEATING, RICHARD D.
KEATING, JR. and ERIC C. KEATING,
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RESPONDENT'S RESPONSE TO
MOTION TO CONFIRM
ARBITRATION AWARD
Claimants,
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No. C07-0580MJB
vs.
NORTHWEST AQUIFER SURVEYING,
INC., a Nevada corporation; ERVIN M.
KRAEMER and CHRISTINE E. KRAEMER,
Respondents.
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COME NOW the defendants and respond to applicants’ Motion to Confirm Arbitration
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Award in Federal District Court. The applicants have made application to the Federal District
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Court for the Western District of Washington to confirm an arbitration award pursuant to 9
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U.S.C. § 1 et seq. The respondents reply that the Court has no jurisdiction of the cause. It is
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apparently the applicants’ position that 9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq. is an independent basis to confer
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jurisdiction on federal court.
RESPONDENT'S RESPONSE TO MOTION TO
CONFIRM ARBITRATION AWARD - 1
C07-0580MJB
533570250
LEE•SMART•COOK•MARTIN & PATTERSON
P.S., Inc. • Pacific Northwest Law Offices
1800 One Convention Place • 701 Pike Street • Seattle • WA • 98101-3929
Tel. 206.624.7990 • Toll Free 877.624.7990 • Fax 206.624.5944
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The applicants do not allege any basis for federal jurisdiction.
Specifically, the
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applicants do not assert that there is complete diversity of citizenship between the applicants
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and the respondents, nor would it be possible for the applicants to make such a representation
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since the applicants, Dale and Jane Scott, affirmatively represented themselves as Washington
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residents on the occasion of the arbitration hearing October 11, 2006.
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Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction.
Hodgson v. Bowerbank, 1809, 5
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Cranch (9 U.S.) 303, 3 L.Ed. 108. It has long been settled that the fair presumption is that a
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cause is without the federal court’s jurisdiction until the contrary is affirmatively shown.
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Naartex Consulting Corp. v. Watt, CA 1983, 722 F.2d 779, 792, 232 U.S. App. DC 293, cert.
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denied, 104 S. Ct. 2399. No such showing has been made by the applicants.
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With limited exceptions, since 1806, federal courts have preserved the rule of “complete
diversity.” Strawbridge v. Curtiss, 1806, 3 Cranch (7 U.S.) 267, 2 L.Ed. 435, that is “where
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more than one plaintiff sues more than one defendant and the jurisdiction rests on diversity of
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citizenship, each plaintiff must be capable of suing each defendant. Soderstrom v. Kungsholm
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Baking Company, CA 7th, 1951, 189 F.2d 1008, 1014.
Apparently it is the applicants’ position that 9 U.S.C. itself confers jurisdiction as a
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federal question. The Federal Arbitration Act (9 U.S.C. §§ 1 et seq.) provides no independent
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right to the federal forum. Jett v. Zink, (1973, CA 5 Ala), 474 F.2d 149, rehearing denied,
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(1973, CA 5 Ala), 474 F.2d 1347 and rehearing denied (1973, CA 5 Ala), 474 F.2d 1348 and
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cert. denied, (1973), 414 U.S. 854, 38 L.Ed.2d 104, 94 S. Ct. 153.
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CONCLUSION
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This Court has no jurisdiction over the subject matter of this controversy.
The
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applicants have an ample remedy under state law, RCW 7.05.
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RESPONDENT'S RESPONSE TO MOTION TO
CONFIRM ARBITRATION AWARD - 2
C07-0580MJB
533570250
LEE•SMART•COOK•MARTIN & PATTERSON
P.S., Inc. • Pacific Northwest Law Offices
1800 One Convention Place • 701 Pike Street • Seattle • WA • 98101-3929
Tel. 206.624.7990 • Toll Free 877.624.7990 • Fax 206.624.5944
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DATED this 5th day of June, 2007.
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LEE SMART COOK MARTIN &
PATTERSON, P.S., INC.
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By:/s/ Sam B. Franklin
Sam B. Franklin, WSBA No. 1903
Of Attorneys for Respondents
sbf@leesmart.com
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RESPONDENT'S RESPONSE TO MOTION TO
CONFIRM ARBITRATION AWARD - 3
C07-0580MJB
533570250
LEE•SMART•COOK•MARTIN & PATTERSON
P.S., Inc. • Pacific Northwest Law Offices
1800 One Convention Place • 701 Pike Street • Seattle • WA • 98101-3929
Tel. 206.624.7990 • Toll Free 877.624.7990 • Fax 206.624.5944
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on the date provided at the signature below, I electronically filed
this document with the Clerk of the Court using the CM/ECF system, which will send
notification of such filing to the following individual:
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Attorney for Applicants:
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Howard R. Morrill
Bundy & Morrill, Inc., P.S.
12351 Lake City Way N.E., Suite 202
Seattle, WA 98125
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I certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington that the
foregoing is true and correct.
DATED: June 5, 2007 at Seattle, Washington.
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/s/ Michelle A. Davidson
Michelle A. Davidson
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RESPONDENT'S RESPONSE TO MOTION TO
CONFIRM ARBITRATION AWARD - 4
C07-0580MJB
533570250
LEE•SMART•COOK•MARTIN & PATTERSON
P.S., Inc. • Pacific Northwest Law Offices
1800 One Convention Place • 701 Pike Street • Seattle • WA • 98101-3929
Tel. 206.624.7990 • Toll Free 877.624.7990 • Fax 206.624.5944