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Kadlec pp. 310 is a decision by a federal court in a lawsuit brought by a plaintiff located in the state of Washington on a question regarding Louisiana state law. Can you explain why the case was filed in Louisiana and why Louisiana law rather than the law of Washington applies?

Can you explain why the case was filed in Louisiana and why Louisiana law rather than the law of Washington applies?

Jurisdiction in the legal field refers to whether a court has power to hear a certain case. In state courts, a case could be brought in so long as the states in which the parties relate with are included. A federal court, however, has more jurisdiction than state courts. Whereas state courts are restricted, the federal court system involves the entire nation.

For the most part, federal courts only hear: "Cases in which the United States is a party; Cases involving violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal laws (under federal-question jurisdiction); Cases between citizens of different states if the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000 (under diversity jurisdiction); and Bankruptcy, copyright, patent, and maritime law cases." (FindLaw's Team, 2016)

In this case, both parties lived in different states and the amount of controversy was over $8 million, so the federal court took over the subject matter jurisdiction, even though the plaintiff that came forward was located in Washington at the time. Also, the defendants (Lakeview Anesthesia Associate & LAA) are situated in the state of Louisiana and not Washington. So, the case was filed in Louisiana and Louisiana law applied.

Reference

FindLaw's Team. (2016, June 21). Federal vs. State Courts - key differences. Federal vs. State Courts - Key Differences.

https://www.findlaw.com/litigation/legal-system/federal-vs-state-courts-key-differences.html

Kadlec Medical Center v. Lakeview Anesthesia Associates. 527 F.3d 412 (5^th Cir. 2008)

Showalter, J. (2020). The Law of Healthcare Administration (9th ed.). Chicago, IL: Health

Administration Press.