CHARLES R. BREYER, District Judge.
These cases concern who is responsible for the crash of Air France Flight 447. The Motions presently before the Court raise the issue of where these cases ought to be heard. This is the second time the question of the proper forum for suits arising from the crash of Air France Flight 447 has been presented to the Court. Once again, the Court concludes that the United States is not the proper forum.
Most of the Plaintiffs in this action, non-French foreigners, had their original Complaints dismissed on forum non conveniens grounds last year. Oct. 4, 2010 Order, 760 F.Supp.2d 832 (N.D.Cal.2010). They have re-filed suit (the Dardengo and Guennoon actions), this time omitting all French Defendants.
Defendants, American component part manufacturers, move to dismiss the Dardengo and Guennoon actions on forum
For the following reasons, the Motion to Dismiss (dkt. 834) is GRANTED and the Motion for Reconsideration (dkt. 789) is DENIED.
A party moving to dismiss based on forum non conveniens bears the burden of showing that (1) there is an adequate alternative forum, and (2) the balance of private and public interest factors favors dismissal. See Lueck v. Sundstrand Corp., 236 F.3d 1137, 1142-43 (9th Cir.2001). A domestic plaintiff's forum choice is entitled to considerable deference, whereas a foreign plaintiff's forum choice is entitled to less deference. Ravelo Monegro v. Rosa, 211 F.3d 509, 513 (9th Cir.2000) (citing Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235, 256, 102 S.Ct. 252, 70 L.Ed.2d 419 (1981)).
A plaintiff's choice of forum will not be disturbed unless the private and public interest factors strongly favor trial in the foreign country. See Gates Learjet Corp. v. Jensen, 743 F.2d 1325, 1334 (9th Cir.1984). "[T]he standard to be applied [to a motion for dismissal on the ground of forum non conveniens ] is whether ... defendants have made a clear showing of facts which ... establish such oppression and vexation of a defendant as to be out of proportion to plaintiff's convenience, which may be shown to be slight or nonexistent." Cheng v. Boeing Co., 708 F.2d 1406, 1410 (9th Cir.1983) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).
Reconsideration is proper if the district court (1) is presented with newly discovered evidence, (2) committed clear error or made a decision that was manifestly unjust; or (3) if there is an intervening change in law. Weeks v. Bayer, 246 F.3d 1231,1236 (9th Cir.2001).
Defendants argue that two separate but related lines of authority show that dismissal is proper notwithstanding Plaintiffs' attempt to file suits that a French court would not hear. Reply in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss (dkt. 865) at 8-9. In sum, these two lines of authority hold that (1) a party cannot purposefully defeat the availability of a foreign forum and then assert unavailability as a basis to defeat forum non conveniens dismissal and (2) a party subject to a forum non conveniens dismissal order (as Plaintiffs are) must litigate in the foreign forum in good faith and cannot contrive to defeat the foreign court's jurisdiction.
" `A party should not be allowed to assert the unavailability of an alternative forum when the unavailability is a product of its own purposeful conduct.'" In re Compania Naviera Joanna S.A. v. Koninklijke Boskalis Westminster NV, 569 F.3d 189, 203 (4th Cir.2009) (quoting and agreeing with In re Compania Naviera Joanna S.A., 531 F.Supp.2d 680, 686 (D.S.C.2007)). Yet, this is exactly what Plaintiffs are attempting to do by re-filing suits that omit French Defendants they previously asserted were liable and still seem to allege are at least partially responsible.
The following two cases help demonstrate that Plaintiffs cannot avoid dismissal by pleading with a design to render France an unavailable forum. First, in In re Compania Naviera Joanna, the Fourth Circuit affirmed a forum non conveniens dismissal to China even though the statute of limitations in China had run because "plaintiffs knowingly and purposefully opted to miss the deadline for filing their claims in [China]." 569 F.3d at 203 (quoting and agreeing with district court). Likewise, in Castillo v. Shipping Corp. of India, the plaintiff allowed a foreign forum's statute of limitations to expire and then argued that that forum was unavailable. 606 F.Supp. 497, 503-504 (S.D.N.Y. 1985). In rejecting the unavailability argument, the court in Castillo noted that "[i]t would be a strange world if a litigant could `bootstrap' himself into a [United States] court by missing the statute of limitations in the proper forum." Id.
Here, Plaintiffs "purposefully opted" not to re-file their dismissed pleadings in France, instead choosing to re-file actions here designed to defeat forum non conveniens dismissal. This is the sort of conduct found impermissible in In re Compania Naviera Joanna and Castillo. Moreover, the case for forum non conveniens dismissal here is even stronger than in In re Compania Naviera Joanna and Castillo because France was available to Plaintiffs (all they had to do was file the already dismissed suits in France or the Dardengo and Guennoon actions with French Defendants) whereas in In re Compania Naviera Joanna and Castillo the foreign forums were unavailable because the statutes of limitations had run.
In addition, a long line of jurisprudence holds that a plaintiff whose case is dismissed for forum non conveniens must litigate in the foreign forum in good faith. See, e.g., Gutierrez v. Advanced Med. Optics, Inc., 640 F.3d 1025, 1031 (9th Cir. 2011) ("If the district court determines that the primary reason the Mexican courts declined to take jurisdiction of Plaintiffs' case was Plaintiffs' actions or
If, following this Court's October Order, Plaintiffs had gone to France and filed actions deliberately omitting the parties necessary to establish jurisdiction, this Court would have been justified in not accepting them back. See Gutierrez, 640 F.3d at 1030-31. Absent a meaningful change in facts regarding liability,
Plaintiffs grapple with the above lines of authority by asserting that (1) they are acting in good faith and in a transparent fashion; and (2) plaintiffs generally as a rule are free to frame their complaints however they wish, including choosing whom to sue and where to sue them. See, e.g., Opp'n to Mot. to Dismiss (dkt. 846) at 9 n. 4. Both of the foregoing might be true as a general matter, but they do not prevent dismissal here.
First, Plaintiffs' good faith (transparency with the Court and opposing parties regarding their desire not to litigate in France and attempts to make dismissal to France impossible) is not the test for whether dismissal is appropriate. Indeed, in In re Compania Naviera Joanna, counsel in that case, as here, were honest about their desire not to litigate in a foreign forum and their attempt to render the foreign forum unavailable. 569 F.3d at 203 ("As counsel acknowledged candidly to the district court, `[the party] made a reasoned decision after being notified that there was a limitation of liability proceeding instituted in the courts of China not to participate and let the statute of limitations run.'"). Notwithstanding that candor, the Fourth Circuit upheld the district court's dismissal.
Second, Plaintiffs' argument that, as a general matter, they are free to frame their Complaints as they wish ignores entirely the fact that forum non conveniens is by its nature a doctrine that limits plaintiffs' choices. Indeed, Plaintiffs cite no forum non conveniens cases condoning a post-dismissal re-filing designed to make the foreign forum unavailable by omitting the parties necessary to establish jurisdiction abroad. Nor is the Court aware of any such authority.
Thus, the fact that plaintiffs generally have freedom to craft their complaints as they wish does not prevent dismissal because these Plaintiffs are subject to a forum non conveniens Order and have engaged in pleading practices deliberately designed to defeat jurisdiction in the foreign forum and circumvent that Order.
In light of the foregoing, (1) the Motion to Dismiss (dkt. 834) is GRANTED and (2) the Motion for Reconsideration (dkt. 789) is DENIED.
Plaintiffs cannot render France unavailable through unilateral jurisdiction defeating pleading, at least where, as here, (1) a fair reading of those pleadings and common sense shows that French entities are proper Defendants; (2) Plaintiffs already sued French parties and dropped them only after a forum non conveniens dismissal; and (3) the Court has not been presented with any new facts that developed after the original dismissal but before the filing of the new actions that plausibly provide a reason for why Plaintiffs removed the French Defendants, other than a desire to defeat the Court's original forum non conveniens Order and render France an unavailable forum for the new actions.
In the alternative, and to the extent the Court is required to determine availability anew, dismissal is still appropriate.
Defendants argue that France is an available forum even if a French court would not hear the Dardengo and Guennoon actions as pleaded because "availability" turns on the existence of a remedy rather than a plaintiff's ability to bring the exact suit filed in the United States in the foreign forum. Mot. to Dismiss (dkt. 835) at 9-11. The Court agrees.
There is authority inside and outside the Ninth Circuit that, to establish "availability" of a foreign forum, a defendant need not show that a plaintiff can bring the exact suit he filed in the United States in the foreign forum. For example, in Lueck, 236 F.3d at 1143, the Ninth Circuit held that "[t]he district court was not required to ask whether Plaintiffs could bring this lawsuit in New Zealand, but rather, whether New Zealand offers a remedy for their losses." Id. Just as the Ninth Circuit found in Lueck, "[a] [French] remedy is unquestionably available here. According
Plaintiffs attempt to sidestep Lueck by arguing that Lueck was a case about "adequacy" rather than "availability" because in Lueck there was no question that the foreign forum had subject matter jurisdiction. But Plaintiffs' distinction fails to create a meaningful difference on the facts before the Court. A remedy is indisputably available in France, even against the exact American Defendants Plaintiffs have sued. Plaintiffs could have re-filed the dismissed actions in France or filed the Dardengo and Guennoon actions there and added one or more French Defendants. Nor is requiring Plaintiffs to name the parties necessary to establish jurisdiction in France an onerous obligation, at least where, as here, they already named those Defendants once before, and they are still proper parties.
The caselaw Plaintiffs cite does not suggest a different outcome.
For example, Plaintiffs rely on Phoenix Canada Oil Co. v. Texaco, Inc., 78 F.R.D. 445, 454-56 (D.Del.1978), in support of their argument that the uncertainty as to whether a French court would hear the Dardengo and Guennoon actions requires denial of Defendants' forum non conveniens Motion. In Phoenix Canada, a Delaware district declined to dismiss on forum non conveniens grounds because, in part, it found Ecuador to be an unavailable forum. It made that unavailability determination because there was "no assurance that the Ecuadorian justice system would consent to accepting jurisdiction over defendants it otherwise might not be able to reach because of jurisdictional limitations in Ecuadorian law." Id. at 456. The critical distinction between Phoenix Canada and this case is that here it is undisputed that a French court would have jurisdiction over the American Defendants if Plaintiffs filed in France the originally dismissed suits or added one or more French Defendants to the Dardengo and Guennoon actions.
Nor does Ceramic Corp. of America v. Inka Maritime Corp. Inc., 1 F.3d 947, 949 (9th Cir.1993), also relied upon by Plaintiffs, establish that dismissal here is improper. In Ceramic, the Ninth Circuit reversed a forum non conveniens dismissal where it was undisputed that the foreign forum would sua sponte enforce a forum selection clause and dismiss the action. Id. at 949. Here, not only do the parties appear to agree that a French trial court could not dismiss the Dardengo and Guennoon actions sua sponte, but Defendants have submitted an expert Declaration that
Finally, Plaintiffs assert that In re West Caribbean Crew Members, 07-22015-CIV-UNGARO, an unpublished district court case out of Florida, shows that France is unavailable. Dkt. 789-6. That case concerned the crash in Venezuela of West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 en route from Panama to Martinique. Id. at 2. The plaintiffs were 9 representatives acting on behalf of 7 deceased West Carribean Airways crew members (all Colombian residents). Id. All of the defendants were U.S. based corporations. Id. The defendants moved to dismiss on forum non conveniens grounds, arguing that the French court in Martinique was a more suitable forum than Florida. Id. at 1, 5-6. The plaintiffs countered that the court in Martinique lacked jurisdiction to hear claims by non-French plaintiffs against non-French defendants. Id. at 6-7. The court agreed with the plaintiffs. Id. at 25 ("Defendant[s] have failed to sustain their burden of persuasion that the French courts would exercise jurisdiction over this controversy.").
Even assuming arguendo that In re West Caribbean was rightly decided, that court was not faced with the situation presented here: where the carrier, the plane's manufacturer, and the manufacturer of a component part that failed in flight are all French companies that were named Defendants in prior suits by these Plaintiffs. There was no analysis in In re West Caribbean of whether the plaintiffs in that case, in an effort to defeat French jurisdiction, deliberately declined to name French entities that their own prior and current pleadings implicated. Nor did the In re West Caribbean court talk about whether France could be made an available forum if the plaintiffs added French Defendants that were logically and legally implicated by the plaintiffs' own prior and current pleadings.
Each side has presented expert testimony on whether, if the question were put to it, a French court would conclude that it has jurisdiction over the Dardengo and Guennoon actions. Framed in that way, the issue is uncertain, and that uncertainty would typically be enough to defeat a forum non conveniens dismissal. See Dole Food Co., Inc. v. Watts, 303 F.3d 1104, 1119 (9th Cir.2002); In re West Caribbean Crew Members, 07-22015-CIV-UNGARO. However, in the Court's view, even absent a clear, affirmative grant of jurisdiction, it is unlikely that a French court would dismiss the Dardengo and Guennoon actions. Thus, France is an available jurisdiction.
A defendant's agreement to submit to the jurisdiction of a foreign forum typically ends the court's inquiry as to availability. See Piper, 454 U.S. at 254 n. 22, 102 S.Ct. 252; Contact Lumber Co. v. P.T. Moges Shipping Co., 918 F.2d 1446, 1450 (9th Cir.1990). However, under some circumstances, for example, where it is uncertain whether the foreign forum has subject matter jurisdiction, a further inquiry
Defendants' expert on French law, Jean-Paul Béraudo, concludes, among other things, that "French courts cannot sua sponte decline jurisdiction over this case." Béraudo Decl. (dkt. 835) ¶ 5. The issue of sua sponte dismissal is critical because Defendants have agreed not to contest jurisdiction in France, and Plaintiffs, as a condition of forum non conveniens dismissal, are obligated as a matter of American law not to contest jurisdiction in France. See Gutierrez, 640 F.3d at 1031 ("If the district court determines that the primary reason the Mexican courts declined to take jurisdiction of Plaintiffs' case was Plaintiffs' actions or inactions in the case, it retains discretion to again order dismissal, with appropriate conditions, if any."); see also Morales v. Ford Motor Co., 313 F.Supp.2d 672, 676 (S.D.Tex.2004). Thus, in the Court's view, the only way the jurisdictional issue can be raised properly in France is if the French court decides to raise it sua sponte.
Béraudo's opinion regarding a French court's inability to raise sua sponte the jurisdictional question is based, in large part, on Article 92 of the French Code of Civil Procedure. Article 92 provides that:
Béraudo Decl. (dkt. 835) ¶ 6.
Plaintiffs appear to agree that a French trial court could not dismiss the Dardengo and Guennoon actions sua sponte. Id.; see also Opp'n to Mot. to Dismiss (dkt. 846) at 17 n. 19 ("[I]t may be true that the Dardengo and Guennoon cases would not fall into any of the categories in which a French trial court might question its own jurisdiction under Article 92 ....") (emphasis in original). Plaintiffs argue, however, that a French appellate court could sua sponte dismiss the Dardengo and Guennoon actions. Id. In support of this position, they rely largely on two cases from appellate courts in France. Neither is compelling authority for the proposition that a French appellate court would sua sponte dismiss the Dardengo and Guennoon actions.
The first case, which the parties refer to as Flash Airlines, is a now vacated decision from the Paris Court of Appeals. Certified Translation of Decision (dkt. 789-11); Opp'n to Mot. to Dismiss (dkt. 846) at 18. That case was about a January 2004 crash of a Boeing plane operated by Flash Airlines (Egyptian headquartered) belonging to a California company that crashed a few minutes after its takeoff in Egypt. Certified Translation of Decision (dkt. 789-11) at 22.
Notwithstanding its superficial similarity to the Dardengo and Guennoon actions, Flash Airlines does not show that dismissal of the Dardengo and Guennoon actions on jurisdictional grounds would be forthcoming for three primary reasons. First, Flash Airlines has been vacated. Opp'n to Mot. to Dismiss (dkt. 846) at 18 n. 21 ("That opinion, of course, was vacated, but on other grounds."). Second, it is factually distinguishable from Dardengo and Guennoon in several respects. For example, (a) the French authorities in Flash Airlines were "merely associated with" the crash investigation, Certified Translation of Decision (dkt. 789-11) at 35, but here they are critically involved; (b) the plane's manufacturer in Flash Airlines was not a French company, id. at 22, but here it is; and (c) the carrier in Flash Airlines was not a French a company, id., but here it is. In sum, the connection between Dardengo and Guennoon and France is significantly stronger than the connection between Flash Airlines and France, casting into considerable doubt Flash Airlines's predictive value on the jurisdictional question. Third, Flash Airlines was not a sua sponte dismissal; rather, the French courts in Flash Airlines were presented with an argument by the plaintiffs against their exercise of jurisdiction. Id. at 24 ("[A]ppellants asked the Court to ... find `that no legal provision of French law gives jurisdiction to the French court to rule on the appellants' action for liability against the four American defendants,' and that the matter is beyond the hearing of the French jurisdiction ...."). Thus, Flash Airlines, even were it not vacated, still does not show that a sua sponte dismissal would be forthcoming with respect to Dardengo and Guennoon.
The second case, which the parties refer to as the Rhine River case, was a sua sponte dismissal by the French Supreme Court of a case that was, by treaty, required to be heard in a non-French forum. See Béraudo Decl. (dkt. 835) ¶ 7. No such exclusive jurisdictional provision exists here.
Finally, Plaintiffs direct the Court to In re West Caribbean, the district court case out of Florida discussed above. The reason why the Court is not persuaded by In re West Caribbean that France is unavailable is subtle but significant. The court in In re West Caribbean did not address the narrow question of whether a French court would sua sponte dismiss on jurisdictional grounds. Rather, it framed and addressed the issue more broadly, asking whether jurisdiction existed in France. Dkt. 789-6 at 8 ("The parties heavily dispute ... whether the Martinique court can exercise jurisdiction over a dispute between the parties to this case."). The difference in how the issue is addressed is important because, as a practical matter, France is available if neither party can contest jurisdiction and the French court would not dismiss sua sponte. Thus, although the Court understands and appreciates In re West Caribbean's thoughtful and lengthy discussion regarding French jurisdiction over cases by non-French plaintiffs against non-French defendants, it is not persuaded by that discussion that France is unavailable.
Thus, the combination of Article 92 and the lack of authority that a French appellate court would sua sponte dismiss the Dardengo and Guennoon actions shows that France is an available forum. Because the Court does not believe a sua
Plaintiffs, though they disagree with the Court's original analysis of the public and private interest factors, "acknowledge[ ] that none of the changes since the October 4 Order would have material bearing on them." Opp'n to Mot. to Dismiss (dkt. 846) at 21 n. 26. Thus, the Court will not re-address those factors in depth and instead incorporates the discussion contained in the October 4, 2010 Order. See 760 F.Supp.2d at 842-48.
It is worth noting, though, that events since this Court's prior ruling show that the private and public interest factors tip even more strongly toward dismissal now. For example, after an extensive search effort led by the French, the "black boxes" and other physical evidence have been recovered. Mar. 5, 2011 France 24 International News Article (dkt. 864) Ex. 1a. Access to that evidence will be easier in France, where it is being held, than here. In addition, French authorities continue to investigate the crash's cause, and Air France and Airbus (but no American companies) have been indicted by French authorities for involuntary manslaughter. Id.; see also May 17, 2011 Wall Street Journal Article (dkt. 864) Ex. 1b. Moreover, unlike the original forum non conveniens motions, this case no longer involves any American plaintiffs.
Plaintiffs ask that, in the event that the Motion to Dismiss is granted and the Motion for Reconsideration denied, the Court impose certain additional conditions of dismissal. Opp'n to Mot. to Dismiss (dkt. 846) at 24 n. 27; Mot. for Reconsideration (dkt. 789) at 20. In addition, the Brazilian Plaintiffs ask that the Court's original forum non conveniens Order be amended to provide for dismissal of their claims to Brazil. Mot. for Reconsideration (dkt. 789) at 20. Defendants argue that it is too late for Plaintiffs to seek additional conditions of dismissal and that the conditions the Court already imposed are sufficient.
This Court was not asked to and did not provide an analysis of whether Brazil was an appropriate alternative forum, and the Brazilian Plaintiffs certainly could have raised that issue during the original forum non conveniens analysis. See Kona Enters, v. Estate of Bishop, 229 F.3d 877, 890 (9th Cir.2000) (reconsideration cannot be used to make arguments that could reasonably have been raised sooner). Indeed, dismissal to Brazil on the present record would be error because there has been no analysis of the relevant public and private interest factors or the adequacy and availability of that forum.
With respect to the proposed additional conditions for dismissal of the original actions, they are denied because they (1) were not sought at the outset of the briefing on the original motion to dismiss and no reasonable reason for not asking for them has been provided; (2) are duplicative of conditions already imposed or not necessary in light of them; and (3) are an improper attempt to place this Court in the position of resolving discovery matters (e.g., who pays for translation costs) that are properly addressed by the French courts.
Finally, the Court, for two reasons, declines to impose a condition allowing Plaintiffs
For the foregoing reasons, the Motion to Dismiss (dkt. 834) is GRANTED and the Motion for Reconsideration (dkt. 789) is DENIED.