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Economics

Personal Jurisdiction over Out-of-State Defendants

Quick fact

A state court cannot assert personal jurisdiction over an out-of-state defendant unless the defendant has 'minimum contacts' with the state, such that the lawsuit does not offend 'traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice'—a standard set in International Shoe Co. v. Washington (1945).

Why this is interesting

You order a product from a seller in another state, and it goes terribly wrong. Can you sue them in your home state? The answer depends on a doctrine that has puzzled courts for over a century.