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· 5/16/1910

H. C. Cook Co. v. Beecher

Citations

  • 217 U.S. 497
  • 30 S. Ct. 601
  • 54 L. Ed. 855
  • 1910 U.S. LEXIS 1976

Syllabus

<p>An- action on & j udgment obtained in a patent case is not itself a suit upon a patent, and the Circuit Court, in the absence of diversé citizenship, does not have jurisdiction thereof; and so held in regard to an action, against directors of an insolvent corporation to make'them personally responsible for a judgment recovered in the TJnited States Circuit Court for damages for infringing Letters Patent; nor in this case can tho complaint be construed as 'making such defendants joint tort-feasors with the corporation in'infringing the patent so as ip confer jurisdiction on the court.</p>

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

  • noting that Peacock prohibits “efforts, unsupported by an independent basis for federal jurisdiction, to establish a new defendant’s personal liability for an existing judgment.”
  • “[W]hen post-judgment proceedings seek to hold non-parties liable for a judgment on a theory that requires proof on facts and theories significantly different from those underlying the judgment, an independent basis for federal jurisdiction must exist.”

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).

Judges: Holmes

Read full opinion on CourtListener

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This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.