In 2017, the United States Supreme Court held in Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California (BMS) that the exercise of personal jurisdiction by a California state court over the claims of non-California plaintiffs did not comport with due process because the court lacked personal jurisdiction to adjudicate those claims against the defendant.

More specifically, the BMS court, after observing that the defendant was not subject to general jurisdiction in California, held that the California court did not have specific jurisdiction over the claims of the non-California plaintiffs “even when third parties (here, the plaintiffs who reside in California) can bring claims similar to those brought by the nonresidents.”

BMS Presents Broader Issue

Petrina Hall McDaniel is the managing partner for Squire Patton Boggs’’ Atlanta office. Courtesy photo