Where companies can be sued
Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of Cal., San Francisco Cty.
In brief
The Supreme Court overturned the California ruling and decided that California courts could not hear the nonresidents' claims against Bristol-Myers Squibb.
- Where it stands
- Decided
Decided 8-1 · June 19, 2017 · Opinion by Justice Alito
- What it’s about
- Nonresident plaintiffs sued Bristol-Myers Squibb in California over Plavix, though they did not claim to have been injured there.
- Who it affects
- California courts lack authority to hear these nonresident plaintiffs' claims against Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
The Supreme Court ruled California lacked specific jurisdiction (authority over claims linked to a defendant’s state contacts), overturned the California Supreme Court’s decision, and sent the case back to that court (remanded).
The plaintiffs lived outside California and did not claim that Plavix injured them in the state.
The dispute asked whether claims by people who lived outside a state could be heard there based on the company's connections to that state.
Question presented
Whether a plaintiff’s claims arise out of or relate to a defendant's forum activities when there is?
What the Court decided
Holding
California courts lack specific jurisdiction to entertain the nonresidents’ claims. 1 Cal. 5th 783, 377 P. 3d 874, reversed and remanded.
- Result
- Reversed
The vote
From the opinions
“A core concern in this Court’s personal jurisdiction cases is fairness. And there is nothing unfair about subjecting a massive corporation to suit in a State for a nationwide course of conduct that injures both forum residents and nonresidents alike.”
What's next
The case returns to the California Supreme Court for further proceedings under the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling.
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
AI analysis generated: Decision Record
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
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Brief added: Questions Presented
More questions
- What concern did Justice Sotomayor raise?
- She warned that the ruling could make it harder to combine claims from plaintiffs across the country and lead to piecemeal lawsuits.
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.