Ford, Tire Companies Nix ‘Consent’ to Jurisdiction in New Mexico

New Mexico’s law for registering to do business doesn’t compel out-of-state companies to consent to court jurisdiction there, the state’s high court ruled in a reprieve for Ford Motor Co., Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC, and Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.

The plain language of the statute is silent about requiring that consent, the New Mexico Supreme Court said Monday, overturning a longstanding intermediate appeals court precedent. The court didn’t reach the federal constitutional issues raised by the companies, including whether general personal jurisdiction is limited to a company’s states of incorporation and principal place of business as a ...