Out-of-State Sales Don’t Confer Jurisdiction, Ford Tells SCOTUS

Ford Motor Co. can’t be sued in the states where plaintiffs were injured because its out-of-state sales didn’t “give rise to” the claims, it said in a pair of accident cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court is reviewing decisions from Minnesota and Montana state courts allowing personal injury and wrongful death suits over cars sold out of state. Ford argues courts in those states shouldn’t be able to exercise specific personal jurisdiction over the company, because the connections between Ford’s activities there and the plaintiffs’ claims aren’t close enough.

In specific-jurisdiction cases dating back to 1945, the Supreme ...