Legal Concepts of Jurisdiction

Domicile and Diversity Jurisdiction

• A corporation's "principal place of business" is where executive decisions are made (the "nerve center").
• This determines domicile for diversity jurisdiction purposes.
• For individuals, domicile is their permanent home with the intent to remain.

Jurisdiction

• Jurisdiction: a court's power to make a ruling on a case.
• Exclusive Jurisdiction: only federal courts can hear these cases.
• Concurrent Jurisdiction: both state and federal courts can hear these cases.

Personal Jurisdiction

• A court must have authority over the parties involved in a case.
• This depends on sufficient minimum contacts with the forum state.
• The sufficient minimum contacts test ensures it is fair and just to require a defendant to appear in a court in a particular state.

Specific vs. General Jurisdiction

• Specific Jurisdiction: Arises when a defendant's activities in the forum state are directly connected to the cause of action.
• General Jurisdiction: A defendant has continuous and systematic contacts with the forum state, allowing the court to hear any case involving them.

World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson (1980)

• A family bought a car in New York, but got into an accident in Oklahoma.
• The US Supreme Court ruled Oklahoma lacked personal jurisdiction over the defendants because they had no sufficient minimum contacts with the state.
• Takeaway: A defendant must purposefully direct activities toward the forum state to be subject to jurisdiction there.

Appellate Courts

• Role of Appellate Courts: Review decisions made by trial courts to ensure the law was correctly applied and procedures followed.
• Federal Appeals Process: A case can be appealed from a federal district court to a U.S. Court of Appeals (Circuit Court).
• State Appeals Process: State cases can be appealed from a state trial court to a state appellate court.
• State court decisions involving federal questions can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. Court System

• Circuit Courts: The US has 94 circuit courts.
• New York: Has 4 judicial districts: North, South, West, and East.
• Each district court follows decisions from the circuit court above it, but not from other circuit courts.
• There are 12 circuit courts in total on the federal level, sitting below the Supreme Court.
• New York is part of the second circuit.

Strict Liability

• Defendants are held liable regardless of their intent or negligence, in certain cases.
• This applies to abnormally dangerous activities and harm caused by animals, except for dogs and cats.

Abnormally Dangerous Activities

• These activities carry a high risk of serious harm, even with precautions.
• The risk must be significant and incapable of elimination with reasonable care.
• These activities must be uncommon in the area.

Contract Formation Issues

• Definiteness: Offers must be clear enough for a court to determine the parties’ intentions.
• Communication: Offer and acceptance must be communicated to the appropriate parties.

Mutual Assent

• Definition: The agreement between parties on the terms of the contract, established through offer and acceptance.
• Lefkowitz v. Great Minneapolis Surplus Store, Inc.: An advertisement can be considered an offer if clear, definite, and demonstrates intent to be bound.

Conduct Invalidating Assent

• Fraud: Intentional deception to induce someone into a contract.
• Misrepresentation: A false statement that induces someone into a contract.
• Duress: Forcing someone into a contract using threats of force or coercion.
• Undue Influence: Taking advantage of someone’s weakened state to induce them into a contract.

Reed v. King

• A homeowner failed to disclose a murder had taken place at their house, which affected its market value.
• The court found this nondisclosure fraudulent and invalidated the contract.
• The case highlights the importance of honest disclosure in contracts.

Trespassers

• Landowners generally owe no duty of care to trespassers.
• Exceptions include:
  • Discovered Trespassers: A landowner must warn them of hidden dangers.
  • Frequent Trespassers: Landowners may owe a duty to exercise reasonable care, like placing warning signs.

Attractive Nuisance Doctrine

• This applies to children trespassing on land containing artificial conditions that could attract them, e.g., swimming pools.
• Landowners must take steps to protect these children from harm if:
  • They know or should know children are likely to trespass.
  • The condition poses an unreasonable risk of harm.
  • Children, because of their youth, do not recognize the danger.
  • The cost of eliminating the risk is minor compared to the potential harm.
  • The landowner fails to take reasonable steps to eliminate the risk.

Licensees

• A licensee enters land with express or implied permission for their own purpose.
• Duty Owed:
  • Warn of known dangers: The landowner must warn licensees about any hidden dangers that the owner knows about and that the licensee is unlikely to discover.
  • Avoid intentional harm: The landowner must not engage in willful or wanton misconduct toward licensees.
• No duty to inspect for unknown dangers.

Invitees

• An invitee enters land for a business purpose or mutual benefit.
• Duty Owed:
  • Duty to inspect: Landowners must inspect the property and correct or warn invitees of both known dangers and dangers that they should have known about through reasonable inspection.
  • Duty to make premises safe: The landowner has a duty to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition for invitees.

Negligence

• Res Ipsa Loquitur: "The thing speaks for itself."
• A plaintiff can establish negligence when the cause of an accident is unknown, but the circumstances suggest negligence likely occurred.
• Defenses to Negligence:
  • Contributory Negligence: Plaintiff is partially responsible for their injury.
  • Comparative Negligence: Plaintiff’s recovery is reduced by their percentage of fault.
  • Assumption of Risk: Plaintiff knowingly assumed a risk.

Unilateral Contracts

• One party makes a promise in exchange for the other party performing an act (e.g., a reward for finding a lost pet).