Vested Interest April 2021

News & Notes
SCOTUS rules accident victims may sue Ford in state courts
In an a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled “that the Ford Motor Co. can be sued in the state courts by people who were killed or seriously injured in accidents involving Ford vehicles.” The Court “rejected the Michigan-based company’s argument that its ties to Minnesota and Montana were too tenuous to allow it to be sued in those states by accident victims.” (AP – 3/25/21) Ford “argued that the state courts should have jurisdiction only if its conduct in those states had given rise to the claims.” In addition, Ford “contended that since it designed the vehicles in Michigan, manufactured them in Kentucky and Canada and originally sold them in other states that Montana and Minnesota courts should not decide the cases.” Writing for the Court, Justice Elena Kagan said, “We reject that argument. When a company like Ford serves a market for a product in a state and that product causes injury in the state to one of its residents, the state’s courts may entertain the resulting suit.” (Reuters – 3/25/21) [read more]