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Unanimous SCOTUS decision in Ford case a big win for consumers, clarifies doctrine of personal jurisdiction
Personal Jurisdiction, SCOTUS Teddy Basham-Witherington Personal Jurisdiction, SCOTUS Teddy Basham-Witherington

Unanimous SCOTUS decision in Ford case a big win for consumers, clarifies doctrine of personal jurisdiction

The Supreme Court’s recent 8-0 decision in Ford Motor v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, No. 19-368 (U.S.S.C. March 25, 2021), on personal jurisdiction is a feast for those who love civil procedure and a victory for consumers. The case is about whether state courts can exercise specific personal jurisdiction over a corporate defendant in individual personal injury actions and was an effort by a global corporate defendant to push Bristol-Myers still further in the direction of limiting the forums in which victims of corporate malfeasance may sue defendants. In this case, Ford got no traction from any of the justices even those who were in the majority in Bristol-Myers.

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