Questão jurídica principal
Whether the Federal Court had jurisdiction in view of the amount in dispute and the conditional nature of the Stella AG claim and counterclaim.
Decisão extraída
Jurisdiction was lacking because only Marty Raschle's unconditional claim remained for review, and that claim did not reach the federal threshold; the conditional Stella AG claim never became pending.
Fundamentação extraída
For federal jurisdiction, only the claims actually pleaded and decided at first instance matter. The Stella AG claim was brought only conditionally, to be decided if Marty Raschle lacked standing. Because that condition did not occur, there was nothing left to decide on that claim or the related counterclaim. The unconditional claim of Marty Raschle was below the required amount in dispute.