A federal judge in New Jersey has held that a plaintiff who worked remotely for a Maryland-based company would have his claim transferred to Maryland district court after the court found that no affirmative action by the employer targeted the forum state, and therefore personal jurisdiction was not established.

A New Jersey resident and former employee of Ascentage Pharma Group, James Tripp, was fired from the company the same day he returned from his short-term disability leave after an illness, according to the opinion. Tripp filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against his former employer and his manager, Dajun Yang, where he asserted six claims—disability discrimination under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), unlawful retaliation under NJLAD, unlawful interference under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), failure to restore under FMLA, and unlawful retaliation under FMLA.