World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson
- Decided
- January 21, 1980
- Docket
- 78-1078
- Status
- Published
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
Cited 8,668 timesNo negative treatment found in this library
What later courts said
- holding that although tort occurred in Oklahoma, New York defendant was not subject to personal jurisdiction in Oklahoma by nonresident plaintiff — Thomas W. Wilson v. David W. Belin and G. Robert Blakey (1994)
- holding that when a defendant “purposefully avails” itself of the forum’s privileges it “has clear notice that it is subject to suit there” — Astropower Liquidating Trust v. Xantrex Technology, Inc. (In Re Astropower Liquidating Trust) (2005)
- holding that minimum contacts requirement ensures fairness to defendants and prevents states from treading upon each others sovereignty — De Prins v. Van Damme (1997)
Each line is a later court’s own words about this case, not a summary. Read the opinion before relying on it.
How the opinion begins
Mr. Justice White delivered the opinion of the Court.
The issue before us is whether, consistently with the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, an Oklahoma court may exercise in personam jurisdiction over a nonresident automobile retailer and its wholesale distributor in a products-liability action, when the defendants’ only connection with Oklahoma is the fact that an automobile sold in New York to New York residents became involved in an accident in Oklahoma.
[*288] I Respondents Harry and Kay Robinson purchased a new Audi automobile from petitioner Seaway Volkswagen, Inc. (Seaway), in Massena, N. Y., in 1976. The following year the Robinson family, who resided in New York, left that State for a new home in Arizona. As they passed through the State of Oklahoma, another car struck their Audi in the rear, causing a fire which severely burned Kay Robinson and her two children.[1]
Cite this
World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286 (1980)Read the full opinion
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