If an attorney improperly removes a case to federal court, the Fourth Circuit concluded today in In re Crescent City Estates, LLC that he or she can’t be liable for attorneys’ fees. The Court interpreted 28 U.S.C. §1447(c), which says that "[a]n order remanding the case may require payment of just costs and and any actual expenses, including attorneys fees, incurred as a result of the removal." It held that this statute allows fees to be imposed only on parties, not their counsel.
The issue was whether the silence in