CLAIRE V. EAGAN, District Judge.
Now before the Court are the following motions: Defendant Jason Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction (Dkt. # 14); Defendant Jason Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Improper Venue, or, in the Alternative, Motion to Transfer and Brief in Support (Dkt. ## 15, 17); Defendant Jason Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Insufficient Service of Process (Dkt. # 16); Defendant M. Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction and for Improper Venue, or, in the Alternative, Motion to Transfer and Brief in Support Thereof (Dkt. # 18); Defendant RPM Investment Company's Motion to Dismiss for Improper Venue, or, in the Alternative, Motion to Transfer and Brief in Support (Dkt. # 20); Defendant Sondra Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction (Dkt. # 23); Defendant Sondra Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Improper Venue, or, in the Alternative, Motion to Transfer and Brief in Support (Dkt. # 24); Defendant Sondra Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Insufficient Service of Process (Dkt. # 25); Defendant Steven A. Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction (Dkt. # 26); Defendant Steven A. Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Improper Venue, or, in the Alternative, Motion to Transfer and Brief in Support (Dkt. # 27); and Defendant Steven A. Miltenberger's Motion to Dismiss for Insufficient Service of Process (Dkt. # 28). Defendant Jump Oil Company, Inc. (Jump Oil) has also filed motions to dismiss (Dkt. ##29, 30, 31), but Jump Oil has filed for bankruptcy and plaintiff's claims against Jump Oil have been stayed. Dkt. # 61.
Jump Oil markets and distributes gasoline and other petroleum-based products to fuel stations in Missouri and Oklahoma. Dkt. # 9, at 3. Jump Oil is a Missouri corporation with its principal place of business in Missouri, but it is registered to do business in Oklahoma. Dkt. # 37-1. Jump Oil supplies fuel to seven service stations in Oklahoma, but the vast majority of the fuel stations to which it provides fuel are located in Missouri. In March 2007, Jump Oil and ConocoPhillips Company (ConocoPhillips) negotiated a Branded Marketer Agreement (BMA) under which ConocoPhillips allowed Jump Oil to purchase petroleum products and use ConocoPhillip's marketing materials.
In January 2009, ConocoPhillips discontinued the Marketing Service Allowance Program, and amended the BMA to implement a new program known as the Branded Incentive Program (BIP). Dkt. #9-2. Under the BIP, ConocoPhillips "provided monetary incentive payments to Jump Oil [and] ... Jump Oil agreed to remain current on ConocoPhillips brand and image standards and to purchase a minimum volume of gasoline and distillates from ConocoPhillips." Dkt. # 9, at 3. The parties executed a second amendment to the BIP for the purpose of updating Jump Oil's address, but no substantive changes were made to the BMA.
ConocoPhillips alleges that Jump Oil failed to pay all amounts owed under the parties' agreement. On December 15, 2011, ConocoPhillips sent a written demand to Jump Oil seeking immediate payment of the full amount due. Dkt. # 9, at 4. On April 30, 2012, ConocoPhillips filed this case alleging that Jump Oil breached the BMA by failing to pay for nearly $3 million of fuel and, with other charges and fees, ConocoPhillips seeks $3,215,719.12 in damages from Jump Oil. ConocoPhillips also alleges breach of guaranty claims against each of the guarantors. Sondra Miltenberger, Jason Miltenberger, and Steven Miltenberger
Dkt. #14-1; Dkt. #23-1; Dkt. #26-1. Melissa Miltenberger is a veterinarian living in Wildwood, Missouri. She claims that her signature on a personal guaranty was forged and she had no knowledge of the guaranty until this case was filed.
As to defendants' motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, plaintiff bears the burden of establishing that the Court has personal jurisdiction over the defendants. OMI Holdings, Inc. v. Royal Ins. Co. of Canada, 149 F.3d 1086, 1091 (10th Cir.1998). "When a district court rules on a Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(2) motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction without holding an evidentiary hearing, ... the plaintiff need only make a prima facie showing of personal jurisdiction to defeat the motion." Id. (citations omitted). "The plaintiff may make this prima facie showing by demonstrating, via affidavit or other written materials, facts that if true would support jurisdiction over the defendant." Id. at 1091. "In order to defeat a plaintiff's prima facie showing of jurisdiction, a defendant must present a compelling case demonstrating `that the presence of some other considerations would render jurisdiction unreasonable.'" Id. (quoting Burger
Defendants' motions to dismiss for improper venue fall under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(3). Once an issue as to venue has been raised, the plaintiff bears the burden to show that venue is proper. McCaskey v. Continental Airlines, Inc., 133 F.Supp.2d 514, 523 (S.D.Tex.2001). When venue is challenged under Rule 12(b)(3) and the parties have not requested an evidentiary hearing, the plaintiff must make only a prima facie showing that venue is proper in its chosen forum. Mitrano v. Hawes, 377 F.3d 402, 405 (4th Cir.2004); Delong Equipment Co. v. Washington Mills Abrasive Co., 840 F.2d 843, 845 (11th Cir.1988). On a Rule 12(b)(3) motion, the Court may consider matters outside the pleadings, and facts alleged in the complaint are taken as true to the extent that they are uncontroverted by defendant's evidence. See Ben-Trei Overseas, L.L.C. v. Gerdau Ameristeel US, Inc., 2010 WL 582205, *3 (N.D.Okla. Feb. 10, 2010); see also Sucampo Pharms., Inc. v. Astellas Pharma, 471 F.3d 544, 549-50 (4th Cir.2006); Kukje Hwajae Ins. Co., Ltd. v. M/V Hyundai Liberty, 408 F.3d 1250, 1254 (9th Cir.2005); Pierce v. Shorty Small's of Branson Inc., 137 F.3d 1190, 1192 (10th Cir.1998); Vazquez v. Central States Joint Bd., 547 F.Supp.2d 833, 865 n. 18 (N.D.Ill.2008). The Court must "draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party and resolve all factual conflicts in favor of the non-moving party." Murphy v. Schneider Nat'l, Inc., 362 F.3d 1133, 1138 (9th Cir.2004).
As to defendants' motions to transfer venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1404, defendants bear the burden to establish that plaintiff's chosen forum is inconvenient, and plaintiff's choice of forum is given considerable weight. Scheidt v. Klein, 956 F.2d 963, 966 (10th Cir. 1992). A court should not transfer venue merely to shift the inconvenience of litigating from one party to another, and the party seeking a transfer of venue must make a strong showing that the forum is inconvenient. Employers Mut. Cas. Co. v. Bartile Roofs, 618 F.3d 1153, 1168 (10th Cir.2010). When reviewing a motion to transfer venue under § 1404, a court may consider evidence outside the pleadings but must draw all reasonable inferences and resolve factual conflicts in favor of the non-moving party. Huang v. Napolitano, 721 F.Supp.2d 46, 48 n. 3 (D.D.C.2010); United States v. Gonzales & Gonzales Bonds and Ins. Agency, Inc., 677 F.Supp.2d 987, 991 (W.D.Tenn.2010).
Plaintiff argues that the Court has personal jurisdiction over defendants Jason Miltenberger, Melissa Miltenberger, Steven Miltenberger, and Sondra Miltenberger, because these defendants entered a contractual relationship with a business located in Oklahoma and plaintiff's claims arise out of defendants' contacts with Oklahoma. The guarantors, except for RPM, argue that they do not have sufficient minimum contacts with Oklahoma for this Court to exercise personal jurisdiction over them. RPM has not challenged the Court's jurisdiction and it has waived any argument as to personal jurisdiction.
"Due process requires that the nonresident defendant's conduct and connection with the forum state are such that the nonresident could reasonably anticipate being haled into court in that state." Conoco, Inc. v. Agrico Chem. Co., 115 P.3d 829, 835 (Okla.2004) (citing World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286, 297, 100 S.Ct. 559, 62 L.Ed.2d 490 (1980)). "The Due Process Clause permits the exercise of personal jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant `so long as there exist minimum contacts between the defendant and the forum State.'" Intercon, 205 F.3d at 1247 (quoting World-Wide Volkswagen, 444 U.S. at 291, 100 S.Ct. 559). The existence of such minimum contacts must be shown to support the exercise of either general jurisdiction or specific jurisdiction. A court "may, consistent with due process, assert specific jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant `if the defendant has purposefully directed his activities at the residents of the forum, and the litigation results from alleged injuries that arise out of or relate to those activities.'" Id. at 1247 (quoting Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462, 472, 105 S.Ct. 2174, 85 L.Ed.2d 528 (1985)). "When a plaintiff's cause of action does not arise directly from a defendant's forum related activities, the court may nonetheless maintain general personal jurisdiction over the defendant based on the defendant's business contacts with the forum state." Id. at 1247 (citing Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia v. Hall, 466 U.S. 408, 414-16 & n. 9, 104 S.Ct. 1868, 80 L.Ed.2d 404 (1984)).
Plaintiff could be arguing that defendants' business contacts with Oklahoma are sufficient to establish general personal jurisdiction over defendants. Dkt. # 37, at 5. Plaintiff argues that the guarantors could reasonably have expected to be haled into court in Oklahoma because they negotiated and agreed to incur a potential indebtedness to a creditor located in Oklahoma. Dkt. # 37, at 9. Plaintiff relies on O'Hare International Bank v. Hampton, 437 F.2d 1173 (7th Cir.1991), to support its argument that a nonresident guarantor is subject to personal jurisdiction in a forum in which the agreement was to be performed or the indebtedness incurred. In that case, O'Hare International Bank (the Bank), an Illinois corporation, received as collateral the assignment of a lease executed between Air Lease, Inc. (Air Lease) and World Travelers, Inc. (World Travelers) Air Lease was an Illinois corporation and World Travelers was an Oklahoma corporation. In addition, there were 13 guarantors of the lease located in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and Florida. After Air Lease assigned the lease to the Bank, World Travelers failed to pay rent under the lease and the Bank filed suit in federal court in Illinois. The defendants filed motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. Viewing the facts in a light most favorable to the Bank, the Seventh Circuit stated that the contractual negotiations occurred in Illinois and the lease was executed in Illinois. The guaranty specifically provided that it "shall be construed according to the law of the State of Illinois,
O'Hare International is distinguishable from the instant case. Although plaintiff uses O'Hare International to support an argument for general jurisdiction, the Seventh Circuit did not expressly state whether it was finding general or specific personal jurisdiction over the guarantors. Rather than examining the guarantors' general contacts with the forum state, the Seventh Circuit considered only those contacts related to the plaintiff's claims and the analysis was similar to that used by Tenth Circuit in cases concerning specific personal jurisdiction. In O'Hare International, the plaintiff and the assignee of the lease were Illinois corporations, and the guaranty provided that Illinois law would apply. However, Oklahoma, has a less significant connection to the parties in this case, because ConocoPhillips is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Texas, and Jump Oil and the guarantors are citizens of Missouri. ConocoPhillips maintains an office in Bartlesville and it has some connection to Oklahoma, but is not an Oklahoma corporation and it has more substantial ties to other forums. In addition, the laws of Oklahoma will not be used to decide the substantive issues in this case, because the parties agreed that the guaranties would be governed by Texas law. The Tenth Circuit has not found that a guarantor is subject to personal jurisdiction in a forum simply because the party is a guarantor and the plaintiff is located in the forum state but, instead, the Tenth Circuit has considered the existence of a guaranty as only one of the factors used to determine whether a party purposefully directed its activities toward a particular forum. First City Bank, N.A. v. Air Capitol Aircraft Sales, Inc., 820 F.2d 1127, 1131 (10th Cir.1987). When reviewing the parties' arguments, the Court will consider the guaranty as a factor in the personal jurisdiction analysis, but plaintiff must offer specific facts in addition to the guaranty showing that each defendant is subject to personal jurisdiction in Oklahoma.
The evidence presented by plaintiff is not sufficient to make a prima facie showing that the guarantors are subject to general personal jurisdiction in Oklahoma. Plaintiff has provided no evidence that Sondra Miltenberger, Jason Miltenberger, or Melissa Miltenberger were involved in any negotiations on behalf of Jump Oil or that they otherwise conduct business in Oklahoma, and their sole connection to the case is that they executed a guaranty for indebtedness incurred by Jump Oil. This does not show that any of these defendants's contacts with Oklahoma were so "`continuous and systematic' as to render [them] essentially at home" in Oklahoma. Monge v. RG Petro-Machinery (Group) Co. Ltd., 701 F.3d 598, 614 (10th Cir.2012) (quoting Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations, S.A. v. Brown, ___ U.S. ___, 131 S.Ct. 2846, 2851, 180 L.Ed.2d 796 (2011)). Plaintiff argues that Steven Miltenberger visited Oklahoma several times in 2010 to negotiate the BMA
Plaintiff argues that the Court has specific personal jurisdiction over the guarantors collectively, but plaintiff offers no specific arguments as to each guarantor. For a court to exercise specific jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant, a plaintiff must show that "the defendant has `purposefully availed itself of the privilege of conducting activities or consummating a transaction in the forum state'" and that "the litigation results from alleged injuries that arise out of or relate to those activities." Employers Mut. Cas. Co., 618 F.3d at 1160. The existence of an agreement or contract, standing alone, may not be enough to justify the assertion of personal jurisdiction over a non-resident defendant, but "parties who reach out beyond one state and create continuing relationships and obligations with citizens of another state are subject to regulation and sanctions in the other state for the consequences of their activities." Marcus Food Co. v. DiPanfilo, 671 F.3d 1159, 1166 (10th Cir.2011). In a contract case, a court should consider "prior negotiations and contemplated future consequences, along with the terms of the contract and the parties' actual course of dealing." AST Sports Science, Inc. v. CLF Distribution Ltd., 514 F.3d 1054, 1058 (10th Cir.2008). The mere presence of one of the contracting parties in the forum state may not be enough to support the exercise of personal jurisdiction over a non-resident defendant, and the "contract relied upon to establish minimum contacts must have a `substantial connection' with the forum state." TH Agriculture & Nutrition, LLC v. Ace European Group Ltd., 488 F.3d 1282, 1292 (10th Cir.2007).
Although plaintiff treats the guarantors as a group for the purpose of personal jurisdiction, the Court must determine whether it has specific jurisdiction over each defendant and it must consider each guarantor's role in the negotiation and execution of the personal guaranties. The Court has found no evidence that Sondra Miltenberger, Jason Miltenberger, or Melissa Miltenberger were involved in any
Plaintiff requests leave to conduct jurisdictional discovery before the Court rules on the motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. "When a defendant moves to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, either party should be allowed discovery on the factual issues raised by the motion." Sizova v. Nat'l Institute of Standards & Technology, 282 F.3d 1320, 1326 (10th Cir. 2002). However, a district court has discretion in the manner in which it resolves a motion for lack of jurisdiction, and jurisdictional discovery is not required if no party will be prejudiced by the refusal to allow discovery. Id. "Prejudice is present where `pertinent facts bearing on the question of jurisdiction are controverted ... or where a more satisfactory showing of facts is necessary.'" Id. There is no precedent suggesting that jurisdictional discovery should be permitted to give a plaintiff a second opportunity to prove that a defendant is subject to the personal jurisdiction in a particular forum. Plaintiff chose to respond to defendants' motions to dismiss by raising a purely legal argument, and it did not argue that it was unable to prepare a complete response to the motions without jurisdictional discovery. Plaintiff has not identified any contested factual issues that merit further inquiry before the Court rules on the motions to dismiss, and there is no basis for the Court to find that any party will be prejudiced by the denial of jurisdictional discovery. The Court finds that guarantors' motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction should be granted without allowing plaintiff leave to conduct jurisdictional discovery.
RPM argues that plaintiff filed the case in an improper venue and it asks the Court
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b), a civil action may be brought in:
Section 1391(b)(2) does not require that a court determine which judicial district has the most substantial connection to the case but, instead, venue may be proper in multiple districts as long as a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the case occurred in those districts. Employers Mut. Cas. Co. v. Bartile Roofs, Inc., 618 F.3d 1153, 1165-66 (10th Cir.2010). When determining whether venue is proper under § 1391(b)(2), a district court must "examine the nature of the plaintiff's claims and the acts or omissions underlying those claims," and "whether substantial `events material to those claims occurred' in the forum district." Id. at 1166 (citations omitted).
RPM argues that it unnecessary to consider whether venue is proper under § 1391(b)(2), because all defendants reside in Missouri and venue can be established in the Eastern or Western Districts of Missouri under § 1391(b)(1). Dkt. # 20, at 3. RPM cites several district court decisions which have interpreted § 1391 in a hierarchical manner and treat § 1391(b)(1) as controlling if there is a district in which venue would be proper under this subsection. See Cobra Partners L.P. v. Liegl, 990 F.Supp. 332 (S.D.N.Y.1998); Canaday v. Koch, 598 F.Supp. 1139 (E.D.N.Y.1984). However, this is a minority position and the majority of federal district courts, including district courts located within the Tenth Circuit, have found that § 1391(b)(1) and § 1391(b)(2) are alternative venue provisions that expand the number of permissible venues for a civil case. Kukui Gardens Corp. v. Holco Capital Group, Inc., 664 F.Supp.2d 1103 (D.Hawai'i 2008); Wise v. Lindamood, 89 F.Supp.2d 1187 (D.Colo.1999); Merchants Nat'l Bank v. Safrabank, 776 F.Supp. 538 (D.Kan.1991). The Court finds the majority position to be persuasive and the Court will treat § 1391(b)(1) and § 1391(b)(2) as alternative, rather than hierarchical, venue provisions.
The parties do not dispute that venue could be proper in the Eastern or Western Districts of Missouri, because all defendants reside in Missouri and at least one defendant resides in each district. However, plaintiff argues that this Court is also a proper venue for its claims because a substantial part of the events giving rise to this case occurred in Bartlesville. Plaintiff's claims arise out of a contractual agreement for the sale of gasoline and petroleum products. Plaintiff is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Texas, but Jump Oil negotiated with plaintiff through its Bartlesville office. Jump Oil supplies fuel to service stations in Missouri and Oklahoma, but the substantial majority of the service stations to which Jump Oil distributes fuel are located in Missouri. The BMA and the BIP are governed by laws of the state in which
The Court finds that the Northern District of Oklahoma is a proper venue for this case. RPM's motion to dismiss focuses only on events related to plaintiff's breach of guaranty claim against RPM, but § 1391 requires the Court to determine whether it has jurisdiction over a "civil action." The substantiality requirement of § 1391(b)(2) is "satisfied upon a showing of `acts and omissions that have a close nexus' to the alleged claims." Employers Mut. Cas. Co., 618 F.3d at 1166 (quoting Jenkins Brick Co. v. Bremer, 321 F.3d 1366, 1372 (11th Cir.2003)). A district court must consider the entire sequence of events underlying the plaintiff's claims, rather than a single triggering event giving rise to the filing of a lawsuit. Id. In this case, ConocoPhillips negotiated with Jump Oil through its offices in Bartlesville, and representatives of Jump Oil visited Bartlesville and communicated with ConocoPhillips working in Bartlesville. Although the majority of Jump Oil's business is conducted in Missouri, Jump Oil is licensed to conduct business in Oklahoma and it provides fuel to seven service stations in Oklahoma. Even though the Court has concluded that it lacks personal jurisdiction over the personal guarantors, the personal jurisdiction analysis is focused on each guarantor's contacts with the forum, rather than the entire course of events giving rise to plaintiffs' claims. Considering all of the events giving rise to plaintiff's claims, the contract negotiations that took place in Bartlesville or through employees located in ConocoPhillips' Bartlesville office have a close nexus to plaintiff's claims, and a substantial part of the events giving rise to plaintiff's claims occurred in this judicial district.
RPM asks the Court to transfer this case to the Western District of Missouri under 28 U.S.C. § 1404, because that court would be a more convenient forum for the parties and witnesses. Dkt. # 20. The individual guarantors request that plaintiff's claims be dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction or transferred to the Western District of Missouri under 28 U.S.C. § 1406. Plaintiff argues that transfer of venue would not be appropriate under 28 U.S.C. § 1404, but its response does not contain any argument as to transfer under § 1406.
Under § 1404(a), a district court may transfer a civil case to any judicial district in which it could originally have been filed "[f]or the convenience of parties and witnesses." However, § 1404 applies only when the case has been filed in a proper venue, and a court may not transfer a case under § 1404 if it lacks personal jurisdiction over a defendant or venue is improper. See Chrysler Credit Corp. v. Country Chrysler, Inc., 928 F.2d 1509, 1515 n. 3 (10th Cir.1991). In cases when a court has found that it lacks personal jurisdiction over the defendant or that venue is improper, the court has the discretion to transfer a case to an appropriate forum under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1406 and 1631.
The Court has found that is lacks personal jurisdiction over the guarantors, except for RPM, and it must decide whether to dismiss plaintiff's claims against the guarantors or to transfer the case to a forum in which the case could have been filed. The Court has reviewed the amended complaint and it appears that plaintiff's claims are likely to have merit, and this favors transfer of the case to a more appropriate forum for further proceedings. Although the Court has found that it lacks personal jurisdiction over the guarantors, there is no basis to find that plaintiff acted in bad faith by filing the case in this Court. ConocoPhillips has an office in Bartlesville and Jump Oil conducted negotiations with ConocoPhillips in Bartlesville, and the Court has determined that venue is proper under § 1391(b)(2). The guarantors have raised a successful personal jurisdiction challenge, but this does not by itself show that plaintiff acted in bad faith or was seeking to harass the guarantors by filing a case in a distant or inconvenient forum. The Court finds that the interests of justice require that the case be transferred to a forum in which the case could have been filed, and plaintiff's claims against the guarantors should not be dismissed due to lack of personal jurisdiction. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(a), venue is proper in "a judicial district in which any defendant resides, if all defendants are residents of the State in which the district is located." Defendants ask the Court to transfer this case to the Western District of Missouri. Five of the seven defendants reside in that district and all of the defendants reside in Missouri, and this would be a more convenient forum for the majority of the defendants. Venue is proper in the Western District of Missouri under § 1391(a), because at least one defendant resides in that district and all defendants reside in the state of Missouri. The Court finds that it would be preferable to allow plaintiff to proceed against the individual guarantors in the Western District of Missouri under § 1406, rather than dismiss plaintiff's claims against these defendants for lack of personal jurisdiction.
RPM has also requested transfer of venue under § 1404. Under 1404(a), a court may transfer a civil case to any judicial district in which it could originally have been filed "[f]or the convenience of parties and witnesses." The Tenth Circuit has identified several factors that should be considered by a district court in ruling on a motion to transfer:
Chrysler Credit Corp., 928 F.2d at 1516. When a party files a motion to transfer venue, the moving party has the burden to prove inconvenience to the parties and witnesses. Rivendell Forest Prods., Ltd., v. Canadian Pacific Ltd., 2 F.3d 990, 993 (10th Cir.1993). Unless the moving party carries its burden to prove inconvenience to the parties and witnesses and the balance is "strongly" in favor of the moving party, the plaintiff's choice of forum should not be disturbed. Scheidt, 956 F.2d at 965. "Merely shifting the inconvenience from one side to the other, however, obviously is not a permissible justification for a change of venue." Id.
The first Chrysler Credit factor is the plaintiff's choice of forum. This case presents an unusual circumstance in which the Court has venue under § 1391 but plaintiff has failed to meet its burden to show that the Court has personal jurisdiction over a substantial number of the defendants. A plaintiff's choice of forum is generally given significant deference, but this deference is lessened if the plaintiff does not reside in the judicial district or if the "facts giving rise to the lawsuit have no material relation or significant connection to the plaintiff's chosen forum." Employers Mut. Cas., Co., 618 F.3d at 1168. Even if plaintiff were permitted to proceed against RPM in this Court, plaintiff would be required to litigate its claims against the other guarantors in a different forum. Although the Court is a proper venue, there is another forum with a more substantial connection to the parties and the events giving rise to the case, and transfer of venue to the Western District of Missouri would eliminate the prospect of multiple lawsuits in different courts over claims arising out of the same set of facts. Under the circumstances, the Court finds that plaintiff's choice of forum is not entitled to a significant amount of deference.
The second and fourth Chrysler Credit factors support transfer of venue to the Western District of Missouri.
The seventh and eighth Chrysler Credit factors concern conflict of law and choice of law issues. As to plaintiff's claims against RPM, the parties agreed that the corporate guaranty would be governed by Texas law, and there is no clear advantage to having issues of Texas law being resolved by this Court or the Western District of Missouri. However, should plaintiff's claims against Jump Oil remain pending after completion of the bankruptcy proceedings, there would be a substantial advantage in having a federal court in Missouri decide issues of Missouri contract law. The Court also takes into account that the State of Missouri has a substantial interest in providing a forum for claims against its residents, and this case does not significantly impact an Oklahoma citizen or the application of Oklahoma law. As to the final Chrysler Credit factor, the parties have not identified any other factors that would make a trial of this matter easier or more expeditious in the Western District of Missouri, and the Court finds that the ninth Chrysler Credit factor does not weigh for or against transfer of venue.
In consideration of all of the Chrysler Credit factors and the Court's finding that plaintiff's claims against the individual guarantors should be transferred under § 1406, the Court finds that this case should be transferred in its entirety to the Western District of Missouri. The Court lacks personal jurisdiction over the individual guarantors but the Western District of Missouri is an appropriate forum for plaintiff's claims against these defendants. Under § 1404(a), the Court finds that the convenience of the parties and witnesses strongly support the transfer of plaintiff's remaining claims to the Western District of Missouri. All of the defendants are located in Missouri but none of the parties is a citizen of Oklahoma. There are no issues of Oklahoma law for this Court to decide, but there could be questions under Missouri law if plaintiff's claims against Jump Oil remain pending after bankruptcy proceedings are completed. There would also be substantial issues as to this Court's authority to enforce a judgment against defendants and assets located in Missouri. The majority of the defendants reside in the Western District of Missouri and the Court finds that this would be the most convenient forum for the parties and witnesses.