BRANDON O. GIBSON, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which W. NEAL McBRAYER and KENNY ARMSTRONG, JJ., joined.
Mexican car crash victims filed this lawsuit in Tennessee against the manufacturer of the subject vehicle and the manufacturer of its tires. The original lawsuit was dismissed by this Court in 2003 under the doctrine of forum non conveniens. A separate lawsuit was filed in Mexico but ultimately dismissed. The plaintiffs then filed this action in Tennessee. As the case progressed, the parties disputed whether Tennessee law or Mexican law applies to the substantive issues in this case. The trial court ruled that Mexican law applies. The plaintiffs were granted an interlocutory appeal to this Court pursuant to Rule 9 of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. On appeal, the plaintiffs argue that Tennessee law should apply to the substantive issues in this case because it has the most significant relationship to the litigation. The defendants argue that the choice-of-law issue was resolved in our 2003 opinion and should not be reconsidered due to the doctrine of collateral estoppel. Alternatively, they argue that Mexico has the most significant relationship to the litigation, and therefore, its law should apply. For the following reasons, we conclude that this Court's determination in our 2003 decision regarding the applicable choice-of-law is entitled to preclusive effect. Accordingly, as we concluded in 2003, Mexican law will govern the substantive issues in this case. The trial court's order is affirmed as modified and remanded for further proceedings.
This case involves a car crash that occurred in Mexico in 2000, when Felix Luis Torres ("Torres") was driving a Ford Explorer with Firestone tires. The accident was allegedly caused by a tire blowout and subsequent vehicle rollover. Torres and another passenger, Engracia Torres Ojeda ("Ojeda"), were injured, and Ms. Ojeda's husband and mother, also passengers, were killed.
In October 2000, Torres and Ojeda (individually and on behalf of her husband and mother) (collectively, "the Torres Plaintiffs") filed a lawsuit in the circuit court for Davidson County, Tennessee, asserting various claims against defendants Ford Motor Company and Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC. The complaint alleged claims of negligence, strict liability, violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, and civil conspiracy. In May 2001, the trial court consolidated this case for pretrial purposes with thirty other cases filed in the circuit court for Davidson County involving Mexican plaintiffs and the defendants Ford Motor Company ("Ford"), Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC ("Firestone"), and in some
Ford and Firestone moved for dismissal of the cases based on the doctrine of forum non conveniens. They claimed that Mexico was the preferable forum in which to conduct the litigation because the cases would be governed by Mexican law, the plaintiffs are Mexican citizens, the accidents occurred in Mexico, the vehicles and tires were purchased in Mexico, and witnesses and medical proof were located in Mexico. In response, the plaintiffs argued that Tennessee was the more appropriate forum and had a more significant connection to the litigation because Firestone maintains its headquarters in Tennessee and Plaintiffs alleged that a conspiracy occurred in Tennessee. The plaintiffs also asserted that Tennessee law should apply to the substantive issues in the case. The trial court denied the defendants' motion to dismiss on the basis of forum non conveniens, making two determinative findings. First, the trial court found that Mexico did not provide a truly adequate alternative forum for the cases. Second, the court found that the relevant public and private interest factors did not warrant dismissal under the doctrine of forum non conveniens.
This Court granted the defendants' application for extraordinary appeal pursuant to Rule 10 of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. We reversed the ruling of the trial court in In re Bridgestone/Firestone, 138 S.W.3d 202 (Tenn.Ct.App.2003) ("Firestone I"). We explained that a two-part analysis applies when determining whether dismissal is appropriate under the doctrine of forum non conveniens. Id. at 205. First, the court must ensure that at least one forum other than the chosen forum is available where the plaintiff may bring the cause of action. Id. If such a forum is available, the court must then consider a series of public and private interest factors that guide the court's decision on whether dismissal is appropriate.
Regarding the first step of the analysis, we held that the trial court erred in finding that Mexico was not a "truly adequate" alternative forum. Id. at 205. We explained that the focus of the inquiry is on the availability of the forum, not its perceived adequacy. Id. at 206. Because Ford and Firestone consented to waive any jurisdictional defenses if the plaintiffs filed suit in Mexico, we concluded that Mexico provided an available alternative forum. Id. at 207.
Moving to the second step, we considered the various factors concerning private and public interests that may warrant dismissal. We concluded that the private factors did not warrant dismissal because the trials promised to be costly and time-consuming regardless of the location of the forum. Id. However, we concluded that the relevant public interest factors weighed strongly in favor of litigating in Mexico. Specifically, we concluded that the trial court did not properly consider the difficulties that would arise from applying Mexican law to the cases, the burden that would be imposed on the citizens of Davidson County by empaneling multiple juries, and Mexico's overwhelming interest in adjudicating localized controversies involving accidents that occurred within its borders and injured its citizens.
Thereafter, the Torres Plaintiffs and numerous other plaintiffs filed separate lawsuits in Mexico. All of the Mexican lawsuits were dismissed. On May 26, 2005, the Torres Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit in the circuit court of Davidson County. Twenty-five similar lawsuits were filed by other Mexican plaintiffs in the same court. The cases were again consolidated for pretrial purposes under the style In Re: Bridgestone Firestone & Ford Motor Company.
The defendants filed motions to dismiss the consolidated litigation on the basis of collateral estoppel. They argued that the issues of forum non conveniens, and specifically, the availability of Mexico as an available alternative forum, had been determined in their favor in Firestone I. Accordingly, the defendants argued that the doctrine of collateral estoppel precluded the plaintiffs from claiming that a Mexican forum was unavailable. The trial court denied the motions to dismiss, finding that Mexico was not, in fact, an available forum, as evidenced by the numerous dismissals by the Mexican tribunals. The trial court concluded that collateral estoppel was inapplicable because the issue of Mexico's availability as an alternative forum was not "conclusively decided" by this Court in Firestone I.
The defendants were granted permission for an interlocutory appeal. In In re Bridgestone/Firestone, 286 S.W.3d 898, 900 (Tenn.Ct.App.2008) ("Firestone II"), this Court considered the preclusive effect of the forum non conveniens dismissal in Firestone I. We explained that under the doctrine of issue preclusion, "[w]hen an issue of fact or law is actually litigated and determined by a valid and final judgment... the determination is conclusive in a subsequent action between the parties, whether on the same or a different claim." Firestone II, 286 S.W.3d at 904 (quoting Restatement (Second) of Judgments § 27 (1982)). We reiterated that we were considering the principle of issue preclusion applied in the context of a prior dismissal on the basis of forum non conveniens. Id. We found no Tennessee decisions in which a dismissal on the basis of forum non conveniens had preclusive effect on a subsequent case. Id. at 905. However, we found guidance from other jurisdictions. "In general," we explained, "`[a] prior forum non conveniens dismissal precludes relitigation between the parties of those issues of law and fact actually litigated and necessary to the dismissal decision." Id. (quoting Alcantara v. Boeing Co., 41 Wn.App. 675, 705 P.2d 1222, 1225 (1985) (citations and footnote omitted); see also Mizokami Bros. of Ariz. v. Mobay Chem. Corp., 660 F.2d 712, 715-16 (8th Cir.1981) (citations omitted); Ex parte Ford Motor Credit Co., 772 So.2d 437, 442 (Ala.2000); Saudi Am. Bank v. Azhari, 460 N.W.2d 90, 92 (Minn.Ct.App.1990) (citation omitted)). "[I]f the objective legal criteria and the underlying material facts in the prior... determinations were identical, then the prior court's decision precluded the relitigation of the same forum non conveniens issue." Id. (quoting Alcantara, 705 P.2d at 1226).
The Firestone II court noted the court's explicit conclusion in Firestone I that "`the courts of Mexico are available to adjudicate the instant cases.'" Id. at 906 (quoting Firestone I, 138 S.W.3d at 207). The Firestone II court also determined that the finding in Firestone I that the Mexican courts were an available alternative forum
On remand after Firestone II, the parties engaged in exhaustive discovery regarding the proceedings in Mexico, and the trial court held a four-day evidentiary hearing on the matter. The trial court ultimately concluded that some of the plaintiffs in the twenty-six consolidated cases failed to act in good faith by manipulating the Mexican courts to obtain the dismissals of their lawsuits. The trial court granted the defendants' motions to dismiss, on the basis of collateral estoppel, in eight cases in which it found bad faith. However, the court found no evidence of bad faith in the remaining cases.
This Court affirmed the dismissal of the eight cases involving bad faith in Ramirez v. Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., 414 S.W.3d 707
As the remaining cases approached their scheduled trial dates, the defendants in the Torres case filed a motion to apply the law of the Mexican state of Guanajuato, where the Torres accident occurred. The defendants argued that the choice-of-law issue had already been resolved by this Court in Firestone I, as this Court stated, in the context of its forum non conveniens analysis, that "Mexican law will govern all substantive issues" in the cases. See Firestone I, 138 S.W.3d at 210. Alternatively, the defendants argued that if the trial court conducted the choice-of-law analysis anew, the result would be the same — Mexican law would apply because it has the most significant relationship to the occurrence and the parties under the choice-of-law test set forth in Hataway v. McKinley, 830 S.W.2d 53 (Tenn.1992). In response, the Torres Plaintiffs argued that Tennessee has the most significant relationship to the occurrence and the parties under Hataway, and therefore, its law should apply to the substantive issues in this case.
After a hearing, the trial court entered an order granting the defendants' motion for application of the law of Guanajuato, Mexico. The trial court acknowledged that "the choice of law question was a factor" in this Court's decision in Firestone I, but the trial court concluded that collateral estoppel did not apply and that "[t]he statements contained in the Court of Appeals' 2003 opinion relating to the choice of law questions are not binding." The trial court conducted its own analysis of the choice-of-law issue using the principles set forth in Hataway and concluded that Mexican law would apply to the substantive issues in the case, as Mexico had the most significant relationship to the occurrence and the parties.
The trial court granted permission for the Torres Plaintiffs to seek an interlocutory appeal, and this Court granted the application on March 14, 2013.
The Torres Plaintiffs raise the following issues, which we have slightly restated, for review on appeal:
For the following reasons, we affirm the decision of the circuit court as modified and remand for further proceedings.
The dispositive issue on appeal involves collateral estoppel. Whether collateral estoppel applies is a question of law. Wilkerson v. Leath, No. E2011-00467-COA-R3-CV, 2012 WL 2361972, at *4 (Tenn.Ct.App. June 22, 2012), perm. app. denied (Tenn. Nov. 21, 2012) (citing Mullins v. State, 294 S.W.3d 529, 535 (Tenn.2009)). Appellate courts review a trial court's conclusions on questions of law de novo with no presumption of correctness. Friedmann v. Marshall Cnty., Tenn., 471 S.W.3d 427, 432 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2015) (citing Bowden v. Ward, 27 S.W.3d 913, 916 (Tenn.2000)).
On appeal, the Torres Plaintiffs argue that Tennessee has the most significant relationship to this litigation, and therefore, its law should apply under the principles set forth in Hataway. However, the first issue we address on appeal is whether the choice-of-law issue is even subject to decision in this appeal considering this Court's previous decision in Firestone I. As the procedural history of this case demonstrates, we are not working with a blank slate. This is the fifth appeal to this Court involving the Firestone litigation. Notably, several of the previous appeals have specifically considered the preclusive effect of this Court's decision in Firestone I.
To briefly review, in Firestone I, the basic issue was whether the consolidated cases should be dismissed under the doctrine of forum non conveniens. One of the factors to be considered in the forum non conveniens analysis is the public interest in having the trial of a case "`in a forum that is at home with the state law that must govern the case, rather than having a court in some other forum untangle problems in conflict of laws, and in law foreign to itself.'" Zurick, 426 S.W.2d at 772 (quoting Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 508, 67 S.Ct. 839). As such, in Firestone I, this Court stated:
Firestone I, 138 S.W.3d at 208-10.
In Firestone II, we considered the preclusive effect of the forum non
In Firestone III, we explained that collateral estoppel renders the determination of a particular issue of law or fact conclusive on the parties "where it has previously been `actually or necessarily determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.'" Firestone III, 495 S.W.3d at 267, 2015 WL 3623591, at *6 (quoting State ex rel. Cihlar v. Crawford, 39 S.W.3d 172, 178-79 (Tenn.Ct.App.2000)). In order to prevail on a collateral estoppel claim, the party seeking preclusion must demonstrate:
Id. (quoting Mullins, 294 S.W.3d at 535).
We conclude that each of these elements exists in the present case. The particular issue raised in this appeal is identical to an issue decided by this Court
The choice-of-law issue was "decided on the merits" in Firestone I.
As for the third factor, the decision in Firestone I became final when the Tennessee Supreme Court denied permission to appeal. Fourth, the Torres Plaintiffs were parties to the consolidated litigation at issue in Firestone I. And finally,
As we noted in Firestone II, "issue preclusion can apply to the findings underlying a dismissal on the basis of forum non conveniens." Firestone II, 286 S.W.3d at 909. Specifically, "`[a] prior forum non conveniens dismissal precludes relitigation between the parties of those issues of law and fact actually litigated and necessary to the dismissal decision." Id. (quoting Alcantara, 705 P.2d at 1225). "[I]f the objective legal criteria and the underlying material facts in the prior ... determinations were identical, then the prior court's decision preclude[s] the relitigation of the same forum non conveniens issue." Id. (quoting Alcantara, 705 P.2d at 1226). The underlying material facts with respect to the choice-of-law issue have not changed, and the choice-of-law issue was one of the objective legal criteria determined by the Court in Firestone I. In addition, the choice-of-law determination was necessary to this Court's disposition in Firestone I. See Pantuso v. Wright Med. Tech. Inc., 485 S.W.3d 883, 888-89 (Tenn. Ct.App.2015), perm. app. denied (Tenn. Jan. 14, 2016) (in the forum non conveniens analysis, "the public factors that must be considered include: (1) whether a Tennessee court will be required to apply the law of another forum").
In summary, we conclude that where a choice-of-law issue is raised, litigated, and decided on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction in the context of a forum non conveniens analysis, collateral estoppel precludes relitigation of the issue. See, e.g., Vasquez v. Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., 325 F.3d 665, 680 (5th Cir.2003) (concluding that a choice-of-law determination was a necessary part of a forum non conveniens dismissal, and because the choice of law issue was "distinctly put in issue, litigated, and determined in the former action," the doctrine of issue preclusion was triggered) (internal quotation omitted).
We decline to re-examine the Hataway analysis in this appeal. As we held in Firestone I, "Mexican law will govern all substantive issues" in this case. Firestone I, 138 S.W.3d at 210. We modify the trial court's order to remove its holding that the doctrine of collateral estoppel was inapplicable and that the Hataway analysis was subject to reconsideration. However, we agree with the result reached by the trial court, i.e., that Mexican law applies to the issues in this case, and we affirm the trial court's order as modified. See Arnold v. City of Chattanooga, 19 S.W.3d 779, 789 (Tenn.Ct.App.1999) ("Where the Trial Judge reaches the correct result for the wrong reason we will affirm.").
We note that the Torres Plaintiffs present another issue on appeal regarding the substance of the Mexican law to be applied. In the trial court's March 7, 2013 order on the defendants' motion to apply Mexican law, the court announced its decision that Mexican law would apply to this case and then stated:
In the trial court's subsequent order granting permission for the Torres Plaintiffs to seek an interlocutory appeal, the court said it "considered" certain issues when granting permission to seek an interlocutory appeal, and one of those issues was "Whether there is a `false conflict' between the Law of Guanajuato, Article 1399, and the `pre-comparative fault' negligence law of Tennessee and that, therefore, the `pre-comparative fault' law of Tennessee should be applied to the liability portion of this case." However, our order granting permission to seek an interlocutory appeal did not list any specific issues for review.
Having considered the procedural posture of this case and the trial court's rulings in its March 7, 2013 order, we conclude that any consideration by this Court of the substance of Mexican law would be premature and constitute an advisory opinion. Appellate courts do not render advisory opinions and will not decide theoretical issues based on contingencies that may or may not arise. City of Memphis v. Shelby Cnty. Election Comm'n, 146 S.W.3d 531, 539 (Tenn.2004). "`In an interlocutory appeal, as well as in an appeal as of right, the appellate court considers only questions that were actually adjudicated by the trial court. To do otherwise would render the interlocutory appeal a request for an advisory opinion.'" Akridge v. Fathom, Inc., No. E2014-00711-COA-R9-CV, 2015 WL 97946, at *7 (Tenn.Ct.App. Jan. 7, 2015) (no perm. app. filed) (quoting Shaffer v. Memphis Airport Auth., Serv. Mgmt. Sys., Inc., No. W2012-00237-COA-R9-CV, 2013 WL 209309 at *4 (Tenn.Ct.App. Jan. 18, 2013)) (internal citations omitted). Here, the trial court granted the Torres Plaintiffs' "motion to seek permission to file an Interlocutory Appeal from the Order entered March 7, 2013." That order did not contain any ruling regarding the substance of the law to be applied. It did not discuss or even mention the issue framed on appeal regarding the existence of a false conflict with pre-comparative fault law of Tennessee. Therefore, we will not review the issue on appeal.
For the aforementioned reasons, the decision of the circuit court is hereby affirmed as modified and remanded for further proceedings. Costs of this appeal are taxed to the appellants, Felix Luis Torres and Engracia Torres Ojeda, and their surety, for which execution may issue if necessary.
Firestone II, 286 S.W.3d at 909.