Whaley v. Merck & Co., 2022 WL 1153151 (S.D. Cal. April 12, 2022), is an ugly example of overly grasping personal jurisdiction permitted in the service of facilitating an even worse overreach by a state’s substantive law. We’ve repeatedly criticized the substantive theory – innovator liability – because (among other things) it exposes manufacturers to liability for claimed defects in competing generic drugs from which the defendants received no benefit (quite the opposite), and did not control what their competitors did. Indeed, innovator liability strays so far from traditional product liability that it creates personal jurisdictional problems – since the target defendant often has no jurisdictional contacts whatever with the forum state, since it didn’t even sell the product that allegedly caused (very attenuated) harm.Continue Reading California Court Overreaches on Personal Jurisdiction
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California Courts Are At It Again On Personal Jurisdiction
By Steven Boranian on
California’s courts have never met a case they did not like. Or, more precisely, they have never met a case over which they would not exercise jurisdiction if arguably supported by the facts, and even when not supported by the facts. We are exaggerating, of course, but not by much. You will recall that the…
ND Alabama Finds Plaintiff’s Shotgun Pleadings a Mortal Sin (and Preempted) (and no Personal Jurisdiction)
By Michelle Yeary on
While two-fer Tuesday has that nice alliterative ring to it – three-fer Tuesday gives you more bang for your buck. Pleadings, preemption, and personal jurisdiction. Maybe trifecta-Tuesday?
Plaintiff in Froman v. Coopersurgical, Inc., 2022 US Dist LEXIS 120725, *2-3 (N.D.AL Jul. 8, 2022) filed her complaint alleging that she suffered an injury when a…
Washington Court of Appeals: Registering to Do Business Does Not Constitute Consent to Personal Jurisdiction
By Andrew Tauber on
As we have previously observed, limits on personal jurisdiction matter because the outcome of litigation is heavily influenced by where a case is filed. Since the Supreme Court confirmed the narrow confines of general jurisdiction in Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations, S.A. v. Brown, 564 U.S. 915 (2011), and Daimler AG v. Bauman,…
No Personal Jurisdiction Over Component Supplier Under New York’s Long-Arm Statute
By Andrew Tauber on
We’re pragmatic geeks. That means we love personal-jurisdiction issues. This year alone we’ve reported on personal-jurisdiction cases here, here, and here. And then yesterday we did it again. Although the decision we discussed yesterday, English v. Avon Products, Inc., — N.Y.S.3d —-, 2022 WL 1787160 (N.Y. App. 2022), was unfortunate in…
Acquisition of Raw Materials does not Support Personal Jurisdiction
By Stephen McConnell on
This is called the Drug and Device Law blog, but every once in a while we discuss cases that involve neither drugs nor devices. Usually that is because those cases offer lessons applicable in our subject matter area. Or – and this is a confession – sometimes those cases are simply fun. For example, we…
Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Registering to Do Business Does Not Constitute Consent to General Personal Jurisdiction
By Andrew Tauber on
In law as in real estate, “location, location, location.” Where a case is filed is often outcome-determinative. Jury pools and jurisprudence vary from one jurisdiction to the next. In some states, any complaint written on paper is sufficient; in others, a plaintiff must actually plead facts to avoid dismissal. Similarly, juries in some places routinely…
New Mexico Rejects Corporate Registration as Basis for Personal Jurisdiction
By Stephen McConnell on
New Mexico calls itself the Land of Enchantment, and with good reason. Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument, the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, the ski slopes of Taos, and Chaco Culture National Historic Park are all splendid visual treasures. A green chili burger is a lovely work of art. And there is a reason all that…
D. Mass. Rules for Defendant in Denying Remand and Finding No Personal Jurisdiction
By Stephen McConnell on
Judge Burroughs up in Boston recently wrote a clear and correct opinion regarding corporate citizenship, principal place of business, personal jurisdiction, and jurisdictional discovery. She was short and to the point, and we will try to be so as well.
The case is Lopez v. Angiodynamics, Inc., 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 208161 (D. Mass. Oct.…
Location May Be Key For Real Estate, But It’s Not Enough for Personal Jurisdiction
By Michelle Yeary on
Talk to any realtor and they’ll tell you location is the key to any home search. And normally when we rail against litigation tourists, location is pretty key to us too. Plaintiffs can’t forum shop for “judicial hellholes” that have no relation to them or to the defendant. So, you’ve probably heard us say plaintiffs…