Justices’ Ford Jurisdiction Opinion ‘A Step Back From The Brink’

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision March 25 not to further limit where injured plaintiffs can sue big corporations reflects common sense and avoids a rule that would have been perceived as “too draconian,” attorneys and law professors say.

But it also poses questions for future application, they say.

Ford Motor Co. must face a pair of defect suits in the states where the accidents occurred because it served markets there, including “advertising, selling, and servicing the model of vehicle the suit claims is defective,” Justice Elena Kagan said for the 8-0 court. Ford had argued the connections between its activities ...