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    "sections": [
      {
        "title": "United States Court of Appeals",
        "paragraphs": []
      },
      {
        "title": "FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT",
        "paragraphs": []
      },
      {
        "title": "Submitted September 18, 2026 Decided September 29, 2026",
        "paragraphs": []
      },
      {
        "title": "No. 25-7130",
        "paragraphs": []
      },
      {
        "title": "SOLON PHILLIPS, AS MEMBER-TRUSTEE OF REMUS",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_6"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "APPELLANT",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_8"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "WCP FUND I LLC, REGISTERED AGENT, CORPORATION",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_10"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "APPELLEE",
        "paragraphs": []
      },
      {
        "title": "Appeal from the United States District Court",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_13"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "(No. 1:24-cv-03366)",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_15",
          "para_16"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "Before: WALKER and CHILDS, Circuit Judges, and",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_18",
          "para_19"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "PER CURIAM: This is an appeal from the dismissal of a",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_21"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "2",
        "paragraphs": []
      },
      {
        "title": "(“Remus”) against WCP Fund I LLC (“WCP”), alleging claims",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_24",
          "para_25",
          "para_26",
          "para_27",
          "para_28"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "Am. Compl. ¶¶ 2, 16. When Remus failed to timely repay the",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_30",
          "para_31",
          "para_32"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "Prior to foreclosure, Remus sued WCP unsuccessfully in",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_34"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "(No. 2024-CAB-001373 D.C. Super. Ct. June 17, 2024), and",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_36"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "District of Columbia. Phillips v. DP Capital, LLC, 342 A.3d",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_38"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "Remus sued WCP in the United States District Court for the",
        "paragraphs": []
      },
      {
        "title": "District of Columbia. The district court granted the motion to",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_41",
          "para_42",
          "para_43"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "12(b)(6). Mem. Op. (Aug. 25, 2025). This court’s review is de",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_45",
          "para_46"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "The court affirms the dismissal of the federal claims as",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_48",
          "para_49"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "Calomiris, 3 A.3d 1186, 1190 (D.C. 2010). But, as the parties",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_51"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "(Aug. 10, 2026), the district court erred in ruling that it had",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_53",
          "para_54",
          "para_55"
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "3",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_57",
          "para_58",
          "para_59"
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      {
        "title": "19, 21 (D.C. Cir. 2016), which was not apparent on the face of",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_61",
          "para_62",
          "para_63",
          "para_64",
          "para_65",
          "para_66"
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      {
        "title": "Accordingly, the court affirms in part, vacates in part, and",
        "paragraphs": [
          "para_68",
          "para_69",
          "para_70"
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      },
      {
        "title": "Bank, N.A., 775 F.3d 409, 417 (D.C. Cir. 2014), or to exercise",
        "paragraphs": [
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          "para_73",
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          "para_75"
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    "paragraphs": [
      {
        "text": "United States Court of Appeals",
        "paragraph_id": "para_1"
      },
      {
        "text": "FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT",
        "paragraph_id": "para_2"
      },
      {
        "text": "Submitted September 18, 2026 Decided September 29, 2026",
        "paragraph_id": "para_3"
      },
      {
        "text": "No. 25-7130",
        "paragraph_id": "para_4"
      },
      {
        "text": "SOLON PHILLIPS, AS MEMBER-TRUSTEE OF REMUS",
        "paragraph_id": "para_5"
      },
      {
        "text": "ENTERPRISES, 1 LLC,",
        "paragraph_id": "para_6"
      },
      {
        "text": "APPELLANT",
        "paragraph_id": "para_7"
      },
      {
        "text": "v.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_8"
      },
      {
        "text": "WCP FUND I LLC, REGISTERED AGENT, CORPORATION",
        "paragraph_id": "para_9"
      },
      {
        "text": "SERVICE COMPANY,",
        "paragraph_id": "para_10"
      },
      {
        "text": "APPELLEE",
        "paragraph_id": "para_11"
      },
      {
        "text": "Appeal from the United States District Court",
        "paragraph_id": "para_12"
      },
      {
        "text": "for the District of Columbia",
        "paragraph_id": "para_13"
      },
      {
        "text": "(No. 1:24-cv-03366)",
        "paragraph_id": "para_14"
      },
      {
        "text": "Solon Phillips, pro se, was on the briefs for appellant.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_15"
      },
      {
        "text": "Eric Waldman was on the briefs for appellee.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_16"
      },
      {
        "text": "Before: WALKER and CHILDS, Circuit Judges, and",
        "paragraph_id": "para_17"
      },
      {
        "text": "ROGERS, Senior Circuit Judge.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_18"
      },
      {
        "text": "Opinion for the Court filed PER CURIAM.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_19"
      },
      {
        "text": "PER CURIAM: This is an appeal from the dismissal of a",
        "paragraph_id": "para_20"
      },
      {
        "text": "complaint filed on behalf of Remus Enterprises, 1 LLC",
        "paragraph_id": "para_21"
      },
      {
        "text": "2",
        "paragraph_id": "para_22"
      },
      {
        "text": "(“Remus”) against WCP Fund I LLC (“WCP”), alleging claims",
        "paragraph_id": "para_23"
      },
      {
        "text": "under federal and District of Columbia law arising from the",
        "paragraph_id": "para_24"
      },
      {
        "text": "purchase and renovation and subsequent foreclosure of real",
        "paragraph_id": "para_25"
      },
      {
        "text": "property in the District of Columbia. The parties are,",
        "paragraph_id": "para_26"
      },
      {
        "text": "respectively, a real estate developer and a financer of real estate",
        "paragraph_id": "para_27"
      },
      {
        "text": "development, and this is not their first undertaking together.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_28"
      },
      {
        "text": "Am. Compl. ¶¶ 2, 16. When Remus failed to timely repay the",
        "paragraph_id": "para_29"
      },
      {
        "text": "loans pursuant to their loan agreements, WCP foreclosed on the",
        "paragraph_id": "para_30"
      },
      {
        "text": "property, purchased it for a nominal amount ($1,000), and",
        "paragraph_id": "para_31"
      },
      {
        "text": "listed it for sale at the same amount as had Remus.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_32"
      },
      {
        "text": "Prior to foreclosure, Remus sued WCP unsuccessfully in",
        "paragraph_id": "para_33"
      },
      {
        "text": "the Superior Court of the District of Columbia",
        "paragraph_id": "para_34"
      },
      {
        "text": "(No. 2024-CAB-001373 D.C. Super. Ct. June 17, 2024), and",
        "paragraph_id": "para_35"
      },
      {
        "text": "the judgment was affirmed by the Court of Appeals of the",
        "paragraph_id": "para_36"
      },
      {
        "text": "District of Columbia. Phillips v. DP Capital, LLC, 342 A.3d",
        "paragraph_id": "para_37"
      },
      {
        "text": "422 (D.C. Aug. 2024) (Table). Following the foreclosure,",
        "paragraph_id": "para_38"
      },
      {
        "text": "Remus sued WCP in the United States District Court for the",
        "paragraph_id": "para_39"
      },
      {
        "text": "District of Columbia. The district court granted the motion to",
        "paragraph_id": "para_40"
      },
      {
        "text": "dismiss the complaint, ruling that all federal statutory claims",
        "paragraph_id": "para_41"
      },
      {
        "text": "and some D.C. law claims were barred by res judicata and the",
        "paragraph_id": "para_42"
      },
      {
        "text": "remainder failed to state a claim pursuant to FED. R. CIV. P.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_43"
      },
      {
        "text": "12(b)(6). Mem. Op. (Aug. 25, 2025). This court’s review is de",
        "paragraph_id": "para_44"
      },
      {
        "text": "novo. Banneker Ventures, LLC v. Graham, 798 F.3d 1119,",
        "paragraph_id": "para_45"
      },
      {
        "text": "1129 (D.C. Cir. 2015).",
        "paragraph_id": "para_46"
      },
      {
        "text": "The court affirms the dismissal of the federal claims as",
        "paragraph_id": "para_47"
      },
      {
        "text": "barred by res judicata, because Remus raised or could have",
        "paragraph_id": "para_48"
      },
      {
        "text": "raised those claims in the D.C. litigation. See Calomiris v.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_49"
      },
      {
        "text": "Calomiris, 3 A.3d 1186, 1190 (D.C. 2010). But, as the parties",
        "paragraph_id": "para_50"
      },
      {
        "text": "acknowledge in their supplemental filings, see D.C. Cir. Order",
        "paragraph_id": "para_51"
      },
      {
        "text": "(Aug. 10, 2026), the district court erred in ruling that it had",
        "paragraph_id": "para_52"
      },
      {
        "text": "diversity jurisdiction. The district court concluded, sua sponte",
        "paragraph_id": "para_53"
      },
      {
        "text": "on the face of the complaint, that it had diversity jurisdiction",
        "paragraph_id": "para_54"
      },
      {
        "text": "upon applying the law for corporations (based on places of",
        "paragraph_id": "para_55"
      },
      {
        "text": "3",
        "paragraph_id": "para_56"
      },
      {
        "text": "formation and principal places of business) when LLC",
        "paragraph_id": "para_57"
      },
      {
        "text": "jurisdiction depends on the citizenship of each of the members",
        "paragraph_id": "para_58"
      },
      {
        "text": "of the parties, CostComand, LLC v. WH Adm’rs, Inc., 820 F.3d",
        "paragraph_id": "para_59"
      },
      {
        "text": "19, 21 (D.C. Cir. 2016), which was not apparent on the face of",
        "paragraph_id": "para_60"
      },
      {
        "text": "the amended complaint and the parties’ supplemental filings",
        "paragraph_id": "para_61"
      },
      {
        "text": "confirm was not before the district court. See Remus Supp. Br.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_62"
      },
      {
        "text": "(Aug. 14, 2026); WCP Supp. Br. (Aug. 20, 2026). That error,",
        "paragraph_id": "para_63"
      },
      {
        "text": "in turn, underlies a second error when the district court",
        "paragraph_id": "para_64"
      },
      {
        "text": "dismissed several of the D.C. law claims for failure to state a",
        "paragraph_id": "para_65"
      },
      {
        "text": "claim.",
        "paragraph_id": "para_66"
      },
      {
        "text": "Accordingly, the court affirms in part, vacates in part, and",
        "paragraph_id": "para_67"
      },
      {
        "text": "remands the D.C. claims for the district court to decide, in the",
        "paragraph_id": "para_68"
      },
      {
        "text": "exercise of its discretion, whether, having dismissed the federal",
        "paragraph_id": "para_69"
      },
      {
        "text": "claims, to dismiss those claims, see Araya v. Morgan Chase",
        "paragraph_id": "para_70"
      },
      {
        "text": "Bank, N.A., 775 F.3d 409, 417 (D.C. Cir. 2014), or to exercise",
        "paragraph_id": "para_71"
      },
      {
        "text": "supplemental jurisdiction, see Women Prisoners of D.C. Dep’t",
        "paragraph_id": "para_72"
      },
      {
        "text": "of Corrections v. D.C., 93 F.3d 910, 913 (D.C. Cir. 1996), or",
        "paragraph_id": "para_73"
      },
      {
        "text": "to determine whether it has diversity jurisdiction, and proceed",
        "paragraph_id": "para_74"
      },
      {
        "text": "to address Remus’s D.C. claims.",
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