I'm not aware of and haven't read that decision, but I would
hazard a guess that the pivotal point in that case was that this
company was "doing business" in Washington. For instance, in our
court, we have a major case against Ford Motor Company coming up
next month. Ford Motor Company's home office is in Dearborn,
Michigan, not in Marietta, Georgia. But they sure do business
here! Gotcha! Last year, we had one against Mercedes Benz, and
they sure don't live here.
But, like with what I suspect is a mom and pop outfit in Houston,
if you want to sue ol' Walt Wayman, who lives and does business
only in Cobb County, Georgia, you'll have to come here. And my
mama and them will meet you at the courthouse door when you get
here. :-) It's called "jurisdiction."
Walt
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Joshua Putnam <josh@xxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 13:52:17 -0700
>Walt Wayman wrote:
>>You have to sue folks where they live or where they do
>>business. If these folks are in Houston, then standing on the
>>street in front of your house and cussing them at the top of
>>your voice will produce the identical result as filing a civil
>>suit anywhere in the world but in Harris County, Texas.
>
>The U.S. Supreme Court just let stand a ruling to the contrary,
>dealing specifically with the web.
>
>A company in Colorado publishes a web site with ratings of
>assisted living providers. A company in Washington State does not
>agree with its rating. The Washington company may sue in
>Washington courts, the publisher must respond in Washington
>courts or lose by default.
>
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|