Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court: Practical Implications and Doctrinal Conundrums

Amid the usual flurry of late-June opinions from the Supreme Court, one of the less heralded, the personal-jurisdiction case Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California, 137 S.Ct. 1773 (2017), may be among the most consequential.

In the first place, the decision marks the Court’s first extended discussion of the “relatedness” requirement for specific jurisdiction—that is, the rule that a plaintiff’s claims must arise out of or relate to a defendant’s contacts with the forum—which alone makes it noteworthy. But its reasoning will also force courts to reconsider where mass, and perhaps even class, actions may be brought. Finally, ...