After another U.S. Supreme Court term with headline-grabbing decisions, one could be forgiven for overlooking the opinion in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co. After all, Mallory relates to the highly legalistic world of personal jurisdiction over corporations. The Mallory decision, however, could have far-reaching implications for businesses throughout the country, creating a real possibility that companies could soon be hauled into state courts where they never would have been expected to be sued. Companies would be prudent, therefore, to consider the potential impacts of Mallory and to mitigate the associated risks.

Let’s start with a reminder of what personal jurisdiction means and why it matters. Personal jurisdiction refers to a court’s authority over a party to a lawsuit and there are two types: general and specific. A court may exercise specific personal jurisdiction over a defendant when the specific conduct underlying the lawsuit bears a sufficient connection to the state in which its filed. General jurisdiction, on the other hand, is far broader and affords state courts the authority to adjudicate any dispute involving the defendant, regardless of where the specific conduct alleged in the lawsuit occurred.