Ford Motor Company v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court
Consolidated with:
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19-368 | Mont. | Oct 7, 2020 | Mar 25, 2021 | 8-0 | Kagan | OT 2020 |
Holding: The connection between plaintiffs" product-liability claims arising from car accidents occurring in each plaintiff"s state of residence and Ford"s activities in those states is sufficient to support specific jurisdiction in the respective state courts, even though the automobiles involved in the accidents were manufactured and sold elsewhere.
Judgment: Affirmed, 8-0, in an opinion by Justice Kagan on March 25, 2021. Justice Alito filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. Justice Gorsuch filed an opinion concurring in the judgment, in which Justice Thomas joined. Justice Barrett took no part in the consideration or decision of this case.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Selling cars in a forum state relates to a claim involving a car sold elsewhere (Howard M. Wasserman, March 26, 2021)
- Court rules against Ford Motor Company in dispute over personal jurisdiction (Howard M. Wasserman, March 25, 2021)
- Argument analysis: Due process, causation and stopping points for a 1945 doctrine in a 2020 world (Howard M. Wasserman, October 9, 2020)
- Case preview: Defining relatedness in personal jurisdiction (Howard M. Wasserman, October 6, 2020)
- Justices to hear October arguments by phone (Amy Howe, September 16, 2020)
- Court releases October calendar (Amy Howe, July 13, 2020)
- Court releases April calendar (Amy Howe, February 21, 2020)
- Justices add three new hours of argument to calendar (Amy Howe, January 17, 2020)
- Relist Watch (John Elwood, January 14, 2020)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 07/24/2019 | Application (19A103) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from August 19, 2019 to September 18, 2019, submitted to Justice Kagan. |
| 07/25/2019 | Application (19A103) granted by Justice Kagan extending the time to file until September 18, 2019. |
| 09/18/2019 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 21, 2019) |
| 09/26/2019 | Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, Ford Motor Company. |
| 10/01/2019 | Motion to extend the time to file a response from October 21, 2019 to November 20, 2019, submitted to The Clerk. |
| 10/04/2019 | Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including November 20, 2019. |
| 10/21/2019 | Brief amici curiae of The Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, et al. filed. |
| 10/21/2019 | Brief amicus curiae of The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers filed. VIDED. |
| 11/20/2019 | Brief of respondent Charles Lucero, personal representative of the Estate of Markkaya Jean Gullett in opposition filed. |
| 12/04/2019 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/10/2020. |
| 12/04/2019 | Reply of petitioner Ford Motor Company filed. |
| 01/13/2020 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/17/2020. |
| 01/17/2020 | Petition GRANTED. The petition for a writ of certiorari in No. 19-369 is granted. The cases are consolidated, and a total of one hour is allotted for oral argument. VIDED. |
| 01/17/2020 | Because the Court has consolidated these cases for briefing and oral argument, future filings and activity in the cases will now be reflected on the docket of No. 19-368. Subsequent filings in these cases must therefore be submitted through the electronic filing system in No. 19-368. Each document submitted in connection with one or more of these cases must include on its cover the case number and caption for each case in which the filing is intended to be submitted. Where a filing is submitted in fewer than all of the cases, the docket entry will reflect the case number(s) in which the filing is submitted; a document filed in all of the consolidated cases will be noted as "VIDED." |
| 01/27/2020 | Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, Ford Motor Company.VIDED. |
| 02/21/2020 | SET FOR ARGUMENT on Monday, April 27, 2020. VIDED. |
| 02/26/2020 | Record requested from the Supreme Court of Montana. |
| 02/28/2020 | Joint appendix filed (statement of costs filed). VIDED. |
| 02/28/2020 | Brief of petitioner Ford Motor Company filed. VIDED. |
| 03/04/2020 | The record of the Supreme Court of Montana is available on its' website (www.supremecourtdocket.mt.gov). |
| 03/05/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of Product Liability Advisory Council, Inc. filed. VIDED. |
| 03/06/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of Washington Legal Foundation filed. VIDED. |
| 03/06/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of United States filed. VIDED. |
| 03/06/2020 | Brief amici curiae of The Alliance for Automobile Innovation, et al. filed. VIDED. |
| 03/06/2020 | Brief amici curiae of The Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, et al. filed. VIDED. |
| 03/06/2020 | Brief amici curiae of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) filed. VIDED. |
| 03/06/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of Institute of International Bankers filed. VIDED. |
| 03/06/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of DRI - The Voice Of The Defense Bar filed. VIDED. |
| 03/19/2020 | CIRCULATED |
| 03/30/2020 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed. VIDED. |
| 03/30/2020 | Brief of respondents Charles Lucero, personal representative of the Estate of Markkaya Jean Gullett, et al. filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/02/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of Professor Jonathan R. Nash filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/02/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of Civil Procedure Professors filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/03/2020 | ORAL ARGUMENT POSTPONED. VIDED. |
| 04/03/2020 | Brief amici curiae of Civil Procedure and Federal Courts Professors filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/03/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of The Center for Auto Safety filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/06/2020 | Motion of Minnesota, et al. for leave to participate in oral argument as amici curiae and for divided argument filed. VIDED. |
| 04/06/2020 | Brief amici curiae of Professors of Jurisdiction filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/06/2020 | Brief amici curiae of Civil Procedure Professors Pamela K. Bookman, et al. filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/06/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of Foundation for Moral Law filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/06/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of National Association of Home Builders filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/06/2020 | Brief amicus curiae of Main Street Alliance filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/06/2020 | Brief amici curiae of American Association for Justice and Public Justice, P.C. filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/06/2020 | Brief amici curiae of Minnesota, Texas, 37 Other States and The District of Columbia filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 04/13/2020 | Argument to be rescheduled for the October Term 2020. VIDED. |
| 04/20/2020 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument DENIED. VIDED. |
| 04/20/2020 | Motion of Minnesota, et al. for leave to participate in oral argument as amici curiae and for divided argument DENIED. VIDED. |
| 04/29/2020 | Reply of petitioner Ford Motor Company filed. VIDED. (Distributed) |
| 07/13/2020 | SET FOR ARGUMENT on Wednesday, October 7, 2020. VIDED. |
| 10/07/2020 | Argued. For petitioner: Sean Marotta, Washington, D.C. For respondents: Deepak Gupta, Washington, D. C. VIDED. |
| 12/16/2020 | Record from the 8th Judicial District Court of Montana electronically received. |
| 03/25/2021 | Adjudged to be AFFIRMED. Kagan, J., delivered the <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-368_febh.pdf'>opinion</a> of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kavanaugh, JJ., joined. Alito, J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. Gorsuch, J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment, in which Thomas, J., joined. Barrett, J., took no part in the consideration or decision of the cases. VIDED. |
| 04/26/2021 | MANDATE ISSUED. |
| 04/26/2021 | JUDGMENT ISSUED. |