On March 25, 2021, the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed separate decisions of the Montana and Minnesota Supreme Courts subjecting a non-resident defendant, Ford Motor Company, to suit even though neither car at issue was designed, made, sold, or serviced by Ford in the forum state. The decision was a setback for WLF, whose amicus brief urged the Court to require a causal link between the defendant’s forum activities and the plaintiff’s injury. The Court disagreed, deciding instead that when a company “serves a market” for a product in a State, state courts may exercise specific jurisdiction over that company even if the product is neither designed nor manufactured there. WLF filed its brief with the pro bono assistance of attorneys Amanda K. Rice, Cory M. Carone, and Christopher M. Johnson of the Detroit, Michigan office of Jones Day.
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