1. Agenda for 25th Class Admin Name plates Slide handout 2017 exam
TA-led Review class
Friday 11/30, 2-4PM, Rm 103
Will be recorded
Optional
Prof. Klerman review class
Wednesday, 12/5, 2-4PM Rm 7
Office hours Wed, 12/5, 10-2PM, 4-5PM
Discussion of court visit
Venue
Forum non-conveniens
2012 Exam
Intro to RJ & CE

2. Assignment for Friday I
Res Judicata
US Constitution Article IV (Supplement p. 1)
28 USC 1738
Yeazell pp
(WG1) Briefly Summarize Frier
(WG2) In what court could Frier have brought both his replevin and his due process claims?
(WG3) Did the city raise res judicata as a defense in the district court? How? Why was that improper? How should the city have raised that defense?
(WG4) Why was it proper for the Court of Appeals to consider the res judicata defense, given that the district court did not address it and the city did not cross appeal?
Optional: Glannon Chapters 26 & 27

3. Assignment for Friday II
Collateral Estoppel
Yeazell
BlackBoard Questions on Collateral Estoppel Q1-5
(WG5) Briefly summarize Illinois Central
(WG6) The suit in the first paragraph was actually heard in state court. If the suit in the first paragraph of the opinion had been brought in federal court, would the second suit be barred by res judicata?
(WG7) If the suit in the first paragraph of the opinion had been brought in state court, but the main suit described in the case was brought in federal court, would the second suit be barred by res judicata.
(WG1) Yeazell p. 749 Q 2
Yeazell p. 751 Qs 3 (WG2), 4 (WG3) (Note you will want to do the Blackboard Questions first, because they give you the answers to Qs 1 & 2)
(WG4) Briefly summarize Parklane
Yeazell pp. 759ff Qs 1, 2a (WG5&6), 5a&b (WG7)
Optional. Glannon Chapters 28 and 29

4. Review Jurisdiction & Internet
Zippo
Jurisdiction depends on how active the website was
Note that Zippo was only district court decision
Unclear theoretical basis
Why should defamation be less likely to establish jurisdiction where viewed if posting was by website owner on passive website than if posting was by 3rd party on interactive website?
Torts (Abdouch, etc.)
“purposeful direction” rather than “purposeful availment”
Imagine defendant launched missile in CA and aimed at TX. Jurisdiction in TX.
Factors that support jurisdiction
Defendant knew that injured person resided in forum state
Posting involved events in forum state
Posting targeted to forum state or had wide viewership there
Defendant had other related contacts with the forum state (e.g. mailed letter there)
Knowledge that injured person (plaintiff) is resident of forum is not sufficient by itself (Walden v Fiore)
No special jurisdictional doctrines for internet
“Purposeful availment/direction/targeting,” like other jurisdictional contexts
Concern that posting material to web should not trigger world-wide jurisdiction

5. Venue Venue means what court within a state
Federal court: CD of Cal (LA) or SD of Cal (San Diego)
State court: LA Superior Court of San Diego Superior Court
Purely statutory matter. Not constitutional
Each state has its own statute
Federal statute is 28 USC 1391
Map of federal districts

6. Venue: 28 USC 1391
(b)(1). If all defendants reside in the same state, venue is proper in any judicial district in which at least one defendant resides
For individuals residing in US, residence = domicile. (c)(1)
Confusing, because domicile is usually defined as residence + intent to remain indefinitely
Corporations are resident in any district in which they would be subject to personal jurisdiction, if district were considered a state. (d)
If subject to personal jurisdiction in state, then resides in that state
(b)(2). Venue is proper in judicial district where event or omission giving rise to claim occurred
(b)(3). If no district satisfies (b)(1) or (b)(2), then venue is proper in any district in which in which any defendant is subject to personal jurisdiction.
(c)(3). Defendant not residing in US can be sued in any district
Joinder of person not residing in US disregarded in determining venue when multiple defendants
IMPORTANT. Even if venue is proper, court still needs to have personal jurisdiction over EACH AND EVERY defendant.

7. Moving Cases Around From one federal court to another
28 USC cases may be transferred “to any other district …where it might have been brought .. for the convenience of the parties and witnesses, in the interest of justice.”
Even if venue and jurisdiction was proper in the first place
28 USC 1406 says that court can transfer case if venue or personal jurisdiction was improper in the first place.
Without statute, one might think that the court didn’t have power to do anything
No comparable ability to transfer case between judicial systems
E.g. from one state court to a court in a different state or foreign country
E.g. from federal court to court in foreign country
If judge thinks that her court has jurisdiction, but that a court in a different state or country would be better, the judge must dismiss the case
Forum non conveniens
No transfer or forum non-conveniens to move case from federal to state court or vice versa
State to federal court. Removal; Federal to state. Abstention.

8. Transfer and Choice of Law
28 USC 1404 transfer
Transferee court applies choice of law of transferor court
So, if C.D.Cal. transfers case to M.D.Pa.
M.D.Pa. applies choice of law of C.D.Cal
Which means, under Klaxon, M.D.Pa. applies California choice of law
Makes sense, because 1404 transfers are usually requested by the defendant for the defendant’s convenience. No reason that such transfers should change applicable law.
28 USC 1406 transfer
Transferee court applies its own choice of law
So if C.D.Cal. transfers case to M.D.Pa.
M.D.Pa applies M.D.Pa choice of law
Which, under Klaxon, means M.D.Pa applies Pennsylvania choice of law
Make sense, because if applied transferor choice of law, plaintiff would initially file suit in place with most favorable choice-of-law, even if plaintiff know that jurisdiction or venue was inappropriate, so as to gain favorable choice of law

9. Forum Non Conveniens Questions
Briefly summarize Thompson v Greyhound
Briefly summarize Piper Aircraft
For each court which ruled in this case, explain why subject matter jurisdiction, personal jurisdiction, and venue was or was not proper
For each court, analyze what law would apply. For this purpose, assume that California and Pennsylvania apply the Restatement 2nd, and that Scotland applies the traditional rule.
Suppose a chemical plant in India owned by an American company leaks gas into the surrounding neighborhood and kills 16,000 people and injures half a million. The victims sue in US court. Defendants move for dismissal on the basis of forum non conveniens. The plaintiffs argue that dismissal is inappropriate, because Indian courts require a filing fee equal to 5% of damages claimed, which in this case could be billions of dollars. There are long delays in Indian courts. Indian courts have very few tort precedents and none relevant to mass torts. Discovery is usually very narrow, if allowed at all. Should the court grant the forum non conveniens motion? If it does, are there any conditions it should attach?

10. 2012 Exam

11. Assignment III – Suggested Chart for Q. 2a on 2012 Exam
District/
region
Location of
Choice of Law Rule
Substantive Law
Delay
N.D.E.D
Nothing
Rest. 2nd
Place of engineering
Strict liability
18 months federal 3 years state
S.D.E.D.
Henri
D’s factory
Accident
P’s home
Rest. 2nd,
N.D.W.D
Gharibaldi
D’s HQ
D’s engineering
Traditional
Negligence
S.D.W.D
Delaware
D’s incorporation
Rest. 2nd, but unclear how applied ?

12. Assignment IV – Suggested Chart for Q. 2a on 2012 Exam
 Court
Subject Matter Jurisdiction
Personal Jurisdiction
Venue
Choice of law Rule
Law applied
Delay
Other Factors
Overall Analysis
N.D.E.D (federal)
S.D.E.D. (federal)
Yes. Diversity
[Fed Q?]
Yes.
Specific, b/c Factory
[General?]
Yes. 391b1 or b2, b/c factory in Henri
Rest. 2nd so place of engineering
Negligence, b/c
Garibaldi, WD is place of engineering.
18 months
Not good, b/c negligence
Henri Superior Court, E.D.
(state)
Other court
(May need more rows)

13. Introduction to Former Adjudication
2 concepts
Res judicata / claim preclusion
Collateral estoppel / issue preclusion
Res judicata
Cannot litigate same claim several times
Finality
If two claims are closely related to each other (e.g. same transaction or occurrence)
Then must bring them together. Compulsory joinder
If litigate one claim and then try to litigate the other
Second claim will be barred by res judicata
Collateral estoppel
If issue resolved in one case, cannot relitigate that issue in subsequent case
Suppose long-term contacts
Litigation I. breach in Court: contract is valid
Litigation II. Breach in cannot relitigate contact validity
Key issue is “non-mutual” collateral estoppel
Case I. A sues B for patent infringement. Court: patent invalid
Case II. A sues C for patent infringement. Can relitigate validity?
No estoppel if person against whom estoppel asserted was not a party in first case
2nd court applies CE and RJ rules of court which decided first case