Under long-arm statutes and due process, a plaintiff asserting a state products-liability claim may establish personal jurisdiction over a nonresident manufacturer who ships products into the forum via the manufacturer’s website. True or false?

Under long-arm statutes and due process, a plaintiff asserting a state products-liability claim may establish personal jurisdiction over a nonresident manufacturer who ships products into the forum via the manufacturer’s website. True or false?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. True, but only if the manufacturer also has a local office in the forum state.
• D. False, unless the manufacturer physically visits the forum.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that due process allows specific jurisdiction when the defendant has purposefully availed itself of the forum and the plaintiff’s claim arises from that conduct. Shipping products into the forum through the manufacturer’s website shows purposeful availment: the company deliberately markets and delivers its products into residents of that state, creating minimum contacts. If a products-liability claim arises from those shipments, the suit is connected to the defendant’s forum-related activities, satisfying the constitutional test. Long-arm statutes typically extend to such contacts, and the forum state has a strong interest in protecting its residents from defective products. Importantly, the defendant need not have a local office or visit the forum—the online reach and the resulting injury in the forum are enough to support jurisdiction.

The key idea is that due process allows specific jurisdiction when the defendant has purposefully availed itself of the forum and the plaintiff’s claim arises from that conduct. Shipping products into the forum through the manufacturer’s website shows purposeful availment: the company deliberately markets and delivers its products into residents of that state, creating minimum contacts. If a products-liability claim arises from those shipments, the suit is connected to the defendant’s forum-related activities, satisfying the constitutional test. Long-arm statutes typically extend to such contacts, and the forum state has a strong interest in protecting its residents from defective products. Importantly, the defendant need not have a local office or visit the forum—the online reach and the resulting injury in the forum are enough to support jurisdiction.