Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. v. Henson

Henson represents a class of plaintiffs who brought suit against Ciba-Geigy Corp. for exposure to insecticide in state court in Louisiana. Henson intervened in a related cased in federal court, in the southern district of Alabama, and participated in a nationwide structured settlement there, including an agreement to dismiss all related actions in other jurisdictions. Thereafter Henson persuaded the Louisiana court that he was not required under the settlement agreement to dismiss his claims against Ciba-Geigy and amended his complaint to include claims relating to exposure to a different insecticide. Ciba-Geigy petitioned for removal to the middle district of Alabama, and then transfer to the southern district, where the complaint was dismissed as barred by the settlement agreement. The court of appeals held that the district court lacked removal jurisdiction, either under 28 USC § 1441 or under the All Writs Acts.

Question Presented:
Does the All Writs Act grant federal district courts the original jurisdiction required under 28 U.S.C. § 1441 to permit removal of cases that would otherwise be ineligible for removal?

Decision under Review

Supreme Court opinion