A stockbroker visited a customer at the customer’s home in S…
A stockbroker visited a customer at the customer’s home in State A and sold the customer some securities. The contract provided that the broker would inform the customer weekly if the securities declined in value. As the broker drove out of the parking lot, the broker accidentally hit the customer’s car, causing $5,000 worth of damage. Over the next several months, the value of the securities continuously declined, and the broker breached the sales contract by not apprising the customer of the decline. After learning of the decline, the customer determined that the broker had also violated federal securities statutes when the broker sold the securities. The customer is a citizen of State A, and the broker is a citizen of State B. The customer filed an action against the broker in federal district court asserting the following claims: (i) a $72,000 claim for breach of contract; (ii) a $130,000 claim for violation of federal securities statutes; and (iii) a $5,000 claim for negligent driving. May the federal court hear all or some of these claims together?