Robinson v. Harley-Davidson Motor Company

• Court: Oregon Court of Appeals
• Area(s) of Law: Civil Procedure
• Date Filed: 01-05-2012
• Case #: A143846
• Judge(s)/Court Below: Schuman, P.J. for the Court; Wollheim, J.; & Nakamoto, J.

To establish personal jurisdiction, a plaintiff must allege sufficient minimum contacts by the defendant with the forum state, and that the claim arises out of those contacts.

Plaintiff Robinson, an Oregon resident, was riding her motorcycle through Idaho when she noticed a "wobble" in the front wheel and had the motorcycle serviced at defendant's business in Idaho. The plaintiff was injured the day after the service when the motorcycle allegedly malfunctioned. Robinson brought suit in Oregon, arguing that the defendant had sufficient contacts through advertising in Oregon to establish personal jurisdiction under Oregon's long-arm statutes. The defendant Harley-Davidson Motor Company filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, and the trial court granted the motion because the accident did not arise out of the advertising contacts the defendant had in Oregon. The Court affirmed, holding that the Robinson's claims did not arise out of or relate to the contacts the defendant had with Oregon. Affirmed.

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