In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas Houston Division
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Case 4:19-cv-01370 Document 14 Filed on 05/15/19 in TXSD Page 1 of 28 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS HOUSTON DIVISION Repairify, Inc., d/b/a asTech, § § Plaintiff, § § v. § CIVIL ACTION NO. 4:19-CV-1370 § AirPro Diagnostics LLC, § § Defendant. § DEFENDANT AIRPRO DIAGNOSTICS, LLC’S MOTION TO DISMISS, AND IN THE ALTERNATIVE, MOTION TO TRANSFER VENUE Defendant AirPro Diagnostics, LLC files this Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff Repairify, Inc., d/b/a asTech’s suit pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2) (lack of personal jurisdiction), 12(b)(3) (improper venue), and 28 U.S.C. § 1406 (improper venue). Alternatively, Defendant AirPro Diagnostics seeks to transfer the venue for this suit, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1404, to the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND ............................................................................................. 2 III. ARGUMENTS & AUTHORITIES .................................................................................... 4 A. Rule 12(b)(2) Legal Standard ............................................................................................. 4 1. AirPro’s Contacts with Texas Are Not Sufficient Such That AirPro Can Be Said to Be Essentially at Home in Texas; Thus AirPro is Not Subject to General Jurisdiction in Texas. ............................................................................................................................... 8 2. AirPro Has Not Engaged in Any Conduct Related to This Suit That Creates a Substantial Connection with Texas, and Thus is Not Subject to Specific Jurisdiction in Texas. ............................................................................................................................. 10 a. AirPro Did Not Purposefully Direct Any Activities Toward Texas. ...................... 10 b. Jurisdiction Should Not Be Imposed Simply Because Plaintiff Contends Its Injury Was Felt in Texas........................................................................................................... 13 c. The Assertion of Personal Jurisdiction over AirPro Is Both Unreasonable and Unfair. ............................................................................................................................ 15 B. Rule 12(b)(3) – Legal Standard ........................................................................................ 17 Defendant AirPro Diagnostics, LLC’s Motion to Dismiss, and in the Alternative, Motion to Transfer Venue i Case 4:19-cv-01370 Document 14 Filed on 05/15/19 in TXSD Page 2 of 28 1. Defendant AirPro Does Not Reside in This District. .............................................. 18 2. This District Does Not Have a Substantial Connection to Plaintiff’s Claims. ....... 18 3. In the Alternative, This Case Should Be Transferred in the Interest of Justice to the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division.......................................................... 19 C. 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a) – Legal Standard .............................................................................. 20 1. Private Interest Factors Favor Transfer ................................................................... 21 2. Public Interest Factors Favor Transfer .................................................................... 22 IV. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 23 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases Aanestad v. Beech Aircraft Corp., 521 F.2d 1298 (9th Cir. 1974) ................................................. 9 Alpine View Co. v. Atlas Copco AB, 205 F.3d 208 (5th Cir. 2000) ................................................ 5 Am. Eyewear, Inc. v. Peeper's Sunglasses & Accessories, Inc., 106 F. Supp. 2d 895 (N.D. Tex. 2000) ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Asahi Metal Indus. Co., Ltd. v. Superior Court of California, Solano County, 480 U.S. 102 (1987) .................................................................................................................................. 15, 19 Bernardi Bros., Inc. v. Pride Manufacturing, Inc., 427 F.2d 297 (3rd Cir. 1970) ......................... 9 BMC Software Belgium, N.V. v. Marchand, 83 S.W.3d 789 (Tex. 2002) ...................................... 5 BNSF Ry. Co. v. Tyrrell, 137 S. Ct. 1549 (2017)............................................................................ 8 Boyd v. Snyder, 44 F. Supp. 2d 966 (N.D. Ill. 1999) .................................................................... 22 Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California, San Francisco County, 137 S. Ct. 1773 (2017) ................................................................................................................... 10, 15, 16 Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462 (1985) ............................................................ 6, 15 Carrot Bunch Co., Inc. v. Computer Friends, Inc., 218 F.Supp.2d 820 (N.D. Tex. 2002) .......... 12 Daimler AG v. Bauman, 571 U.S. 117 (2014) ................................................................ 7, 8, 10, 18 Dallas Texans Soccer Club v. Major League Soccer Players Union, 247 F. Supp. 3d 784 (E.D. Tex. 2017) ............................................................................................................................... 4, 5 Del Monte Corp. v. Everett Steamship Corp., 402 F. Supp. 237 (N.D.Cal.1973) .......................... 9 ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. v. RBC Capital Markets, Corp., No. H-09-992, 2009 WL 2244468 (S.D. Tex. Jul. 27, 2009) .................................................................................................................... 22 Financial Cas. and Sur., Inc. v. Zouvelos, Civil Action No. H-11-2509, 2012 WL 2886861 (S.D. Tex. Jul. 13, 2012) .................................................................................................................... 23 Goldlawr, Inc. v. Heiman, 369 U.S. 463 (1962) ........................................................................... 19 Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operation, S.A. v. Brown, 564 U.S 915 (2011) ....................................... 8 Guardian Royal Exch. Assurance, Ltd. v. English China Clays, P.L.C., 815 S.W.2d 223 (Tex. 1991) ............................................................................................................................. 5, 6, 7, 10 Gulf Oil Corp. v. Gilbert, 330 U.S. 501 (1947) ............................................................................ 20 Harvey v. Grey Wolf Drilling Co., 542 F.3d 1077 (5th Cir. 2008) ........................................... 8, 18 Head v. Las Vegas Sands, LLC, 298 F. Supp. 3d 963 (S.D. Tex. 2018) ........................................ 7 Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall, 466 U.S. 408 (1984) .......................... 5, 6, 10 Houston Trial Reports, Inc. v. LRP Publications, Inc., 85 F.Supp.2d 663 (S.D. Tex. 1999) ........................................................................................................... 20, 21, 22 Defendant AirPro Diagnostics, LLC’s Motion to Dismiss, and in the Alternative, Motion to Transfer Venue ii Case 4:19-cv-01370 Document 14 Filed on 05/15/19 in TXSD Page 3 of 28 Int'l Shoe Co. v. State of Wash., Office of Unemployment Comp. & Placement, 326 U.S. 310 (1945) ........................................................................................................................................ 15 LCW Auto. Corp. v. Restivo Enterprises, No. SA-04-CA-0361-XR, 2004 WL 2203440 (W.D. Tex. Sept. 24, 2004) .................................................................................................................. 11 LeBouef v. Gulf Operators, Inc., 20 F. Supp. 2d 1057 (S.D. Tex. 1998) ..................................... 21 Marin v. Michelin N. Am., Inc., No. SA-16-CA-497-FB-HJB, 2017 WL 5494087 (W.D. Tex. July 13, 2017).............................................................................................................................. 9 Michiana Easy Livin' Country, Inc. v. Holten, 168 S.W.3d 777 (Tex. 2005) ................................. 6 Mink v. AAAA Development, LLC, 190 F.3d 333 (5th Cir. 1999) .......................................... 12, 18 Moki Mac River Expeditions v. Drugg,, 221 S.W.3d 569 (Tex. 2007)............................. 5, 6, 7, 10 Monkton Ins. Servs., Ltd. v. Ritter, 768 F.3d 429 (5th Cir. 2014) .................................................. 7 NexLearn, LLC v. Allen Interactions, Inc., 859 F.3d 1371 (Fed. Cir. 2017) .................................. 8 Reed v. Fina Oil & Chem. Co., 995 F.Supp. 705 (E.D. Tex. 1998) ............................................. 21 Revell v. Lidov, 317 F.3d 467 (5th Cir. 2002)..................................................................... 5, 12, 14 Rosemond v. United Airlines, Inc., No.-H-13-2190, 2014 WL 1338690 (S.D. Tex. Apr. 2, 2014) ................................................................................................................................................... 22 Schlobohm v. Schapiro, 784 S.W.2d 355 (Tex. 1990) .................................................................... 5 Singletary v. B.R.X., Inc., 828 F.2d 1135 (5th Cir. 1987) ............................................................. 11 Southmark