Hertz Corp. v. Friend

Justice Breyer delivered the opinion of the Court.

The federal diversity jurisdiction statute provides that “a corporation shall be deemed to be a citizen of any State by which it has been incorporated and of the State where it has its principal place of business.”

28 U. S. C. § 1332(c)(1) (emphasis added). We seek here to resolve different interpretations that the Circuits have given this phrase. In doing so, we place primary weight upon the need for judicial administration of a jurisdictional statute to remain as simple as possible. And we conclude that the phrase “principal place of business” refers to the place where the corporation’s high level officers direct, control, and coordinate the corporation’s activities. Lower federal courts have often metaphor [*81] ically called that place the corporation’s “nerve center.” See, e. g., Wisconsin Knife Works v. National Metal Crofters, 781 F. 2d 1280, 1282 (CA7 1986);