ANDREWS, District Judge.
In these consolidated cases, Plaintiffs brought causes of action against numerous defendants for injuries stemming from alleged misuse of dibromochloropropane
A similar DBCP case with different parties has also been pending in the Delaware state courts. In August, 2012, the Delaware Superior Court denied defendants' motion to dismiss based on the statute of limitations, ruling, in part, that the statute of limitations was tolled even though the original filing was in another jurisdiction, based on litigation originating in a Texas state court previously filed by one of the Delaware state court plaintiffs. See Blanco v. AMVAC Chem. Corp., 2012 WL 3194412 (Del.Super. Aug. 8, 2012). The Superior Court then certified for interlocutory appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court the issue of whether Delaware recognizes cross-jurisdictional tolling. (D.I. 36 at Ex. C).
Plaintiffs moved to stay this case pending the Delaware Supreme Court's ruling on the cross-jurisdictional tolling issue, and for reconsideration of dismissal based on the first-filed rule. The remaining defendant, Chiquita, moved for dismissal based on lack of personal jurisdiction, res judicata and the statute of limitations, and moved for a more definite statement or to dismiss for failure to state a claim. Plaintiffs' motions to stay and for reconsideration are denied; Chiquita's motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction is granted; and Chiquita's remaining motions to dismiss are dismissed as moot.
Before the Court is Plaintiffs' Motion to Stay Pending Delaware Supreme Court Ruling on Cross-Jurisdictional Tolling (D.I. 36) and related briefing (D.I. 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51). The reasons advanced for granting a stay are to allow the Delaware Supreme Court to rule on the cross-jurisdictional tolling issue and to avoid piecemeal appeals. If this Court were going to decide the cross-jurisdictional tolling issue, the Plaintiffs argument might have merit. The Court, however, need not decide that issue. Further, the Court has denied the request for Rule 54(b) certification submitted by some Defendants. I do not intend to allow piecemeal appeals. Therefore, there is no reason to grant a stay. Plaintiffs' Motion to Stay is denied.
Also before the Court is Plaintiffs' Cross-Motion
Also before the Court is Defendant Chiquita Brands International, Inc.'s Motion for Dismissal of Claims pursuant to Rule 12(b)(2) (D.I. 37) and related briefing (D.I. 38, 57, 58, 68). In opposing the Motion, Plaintiffs argue this Court has general jurisdiction over Chiquita, implicitly conceding there is no specific jurisdiction over Chiquita; in the alternative, Plaintiffs request jurisdictional discovery or transfer of their case against Chiquita to New Jersey.
When reviewing a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(2), a court must accept as true all allegations of jurisdictional fact made by the plaintiff and resolve all factual disputes in the plaintiffs favor. Traynor v. Liu, 495 F.Supp.2d 444, 448 (D.Del.2007). Once a jurisdictional defense has been raised, the plaintiff bears the burden of establishing, with reasonable particularity, that sufficient minimum contacts have occurred between the defendant and the forum to support jurisdiction. See Provident Nat'l Bank v. Cal. Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n, 819 F.2d 434, 437 (3d Cir. 1987). To meet this burden, the plaintiff must produce "sworn affidavits or other competent evidence," since a Rule 12(b)(2) motion "requires resolution of factual issues outside the pleadings." Time Share Vacation Club v. Atlantic Resorts, Ltd., 735 F.2d 61, 67 n. 9 (3d Cir.1984).
Determining the existence of personal jurisdiction requires a two-part analysis. First, the Court must consider whether a defendant's actions come within any of the provisions of Delaware's long-arm statute. See Intel v. Broadcom, 167 F.Supp.2d 692, 700 (D.Del.2001). Next, the Court must determine whether exercising jurisdiction over the defendant in this state comports with the Due Process Clause of the Constitution. See id. Due Process is satisfied if the Court finds the existence of "minimum contacts" between the non-resident defendant and the forum state, "such that the maintenance of the suit does not offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice." International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310,
With respect to the first-step statutory inquiry, the Court applies the law of the state in which the district court is located. See Intel, 167 F.Supp.2d at 700. Delaware's long-arm statute authorizes jurisdiction over a non-resident when that party or its agent:
For the second-step Due Process analysis, the Court applies federal law. The U.S. Supreme Court recently clarified that general jurisdiction over foreign
In the Complaint, Plaintiffs alleged that Chiquita, a New Jersey corporation with its principal place of business in Ohio, "was authorized to do and was doing business within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court." (D.I. 1, ¶ 96). In opposing the Motion, Plaintiffs further assert general jurisdiction based on Chiquita being "generally present with continuous and systematic activity in Delaware," based on the following: a newspaper article and a Port of Wilmington press release describing Chiquita's weekly sailings into the Port of Wilmington and Chiquita's maintenance of a facility there; Chiquita's 2011 Form 10-K describing its general activities importing bananas and other produce from Central America to the United States, without any specific mention of Delaware; the store locator on Chiquita's website pointing consumers to Delaware retail locations for Chiquita Bites; and the fact that Chiquita's main operating subsidiary, Chiquita Brands LLC, is a Delaware corporation. (D.I. 57 at 2-5). Chiquita's principal place of business moved to North Carolina in 2012. (D.I. 1, ¶ 96; D.I. 38 at 3 n. 2; id. Ex. A).
Chiquita does not dispute that it does business in Delaware, nor does it appear to dispute that those activities meet the requirements of the Delaware long-arm statute, and therefore satisfy the statutory step of the general jurisdiction analysis.
Plaintiffs' jurisdictional allegations for Chiquita, taken as true, do not show that Chiquita is "at home" in Delaware under Goodyear. Even viewing the facts in the light most favorable to Plaintiffs, it cannot be inferred that Chiquita's ownership of a facility in Delaware, movement of its products through Delaware, and sale of its products in Delaware make Chiquita "at home" in Delaware.
Plaintiffs request that if the Court concludes they have failed to meet their burden to establish personal jurisdiction over Chiquita, the Court allow Plaintiffs to take jurisdictional discovery regarding Chiquita's business relationship with its subsidiary rather than dismiss the claims. The Third Circuit has instructed that "[i]f the plaintiff presents factual allegations that suggest with reasonable particularity the possible existence of the requisite contacts between the party and the forum state, the plaintiff's right to conduct jurisdictional discovery should be sustained." Eurofins Pharma U.S. Holdings v. Bio Alliance Pharma SA, 623 F.3d 147, 157 (3d Cir. 2010) (internal quotation marks and brackets omitted). "A plaintiff may not, however, undertake a fishing expedition based
Here, Plaintiffs do not make factual allegations suggesting Chiquita's affiliations with Delaware are so continuous and systematic as to render it essentially at home in Delaware. And Plaintiffs do not allege any fact to suggest the existence of any contact between Chiquita or Chiquita Brands, LLC with the State of Delaware (beyond the fact that the subsidiary is a Delaware entity, and Chiquita moves and sells its products in Delaware as well as the rest of the country). This is insufficient to justify jurisdictional discovery. Grynberg v. Total Compagnie Francaise Des Petroles, 2012 WL 4105089, *4 (D.Del. Sept. 18, 2012).
As a second alternative, Plaintiffs ask the Court to transfer the case against Chiquita — the sole remaining Defendant — to New Jersey, Chiquita's state of incorporation, under 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a). Chiquita does not address this request. If a case is filed in the wrong court, a court has discretion to "dismiss, or if it be in the interest of justice, transfer [the] case to any district or division in which it could have been brought." 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a). A district where the case "could have been brought" requires that the transferee forum have proper venue and personal jurisdiction over the defendant. FS Photo, Inc. v. Picture Vision, Inc., 48 F.Supp.2d 442, 449 (D.Del.1999). The moving party bears the burden to establish the appropriateness of transfer under Section 1406. Marnavi SpA v. Keehan, Civ. No. 08-00389-SLR-LPS, 2010 WL 1499583, at *2 (D.Del. Apr. 14, 2010).
Here, every other Defendant has had their claims dismissed based on the first-filed rule based on the litigation in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Chiquita is also a defendant in the Eastern District of Louisiana case and joined the motion for summary judgment granted by that Court. Chaverri, 896 F.Supp.2d at 558 & n. 1. Thus, although New Jersey is therefore a district where this case, filed after the Eastern District of Louisiana case was filed, "could have been brought" from a venue and personal jurisdiction perspective, there is nothing else to recommend such a transfer. The policies behind the first-filed rule mean that transferring the case to New Jersey would not be in the interest of justice.
Finally, before the Court are two more motions to dismiss by Chiquita, asserting res judicata based on the Eastern District of Louisiana's statute of limitations ruling on summary judgment (D.I. 41), and for a more definite statement or for failure to state a claim based on Plaintiffs' fraud allegations (D.I. 39). Because the Court has granted Chiquita's motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, these motions are dismissed as moot.
An appropriate order will be entered.