MBE Rules · Civil Procedure
Aggregation of Claims
Amount in controversy — aggregation
The rule
One plaintiff may aggregate all claims against one defendant to exceed $75,000, but multiple plaintiffs cannot combine separate claims, and one plaintiff cannot aggregate against multiple defendants absent joint liability.
In plain English
Aggregation of claims allows a single plaintiff to combine all their claims against one defendant to meet the jurisdictional threshold of $75,000. However, multiple plaintiffs cannot pool their claims together, and a single plaintiff cannot aggregate claims against multiple defendants unless those defendants are jointly liable.
Worked example
Alice has three separate claims against Bob: one for $50,000, one for $30,000, and one for $10,000. Alice can aggregate these claims to exceed the $75,000 threshold for federal jurisdiction. Therefore, she can bring her case in federal court.
Memory hook
One plaintiff, one defendant, all claims count; multiple plaintiffs, separate claims don't mount.
The trap
Exams often present scenarios where multiple plaintiffs think they can combine their claims, leading to confusion about the aggregation rule. Students may also mistakenly believe they can aggregate claims against multiple defendants.
How examiners test it
Questions typically involve fact patterns with multiple claims or multiple plaintiffs, testing the candidate's understanding of when aggregation is permissible.
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