Schultz v. Union Pacific Railroad

257 P.2d 1003, 118 Cal. App. 2d 169, 1953 Cal. App. LEXIS 1530
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 27, 1953
DocketCiv. 19359
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 257 P.2d 1003 (Schultz v. Union Pacific Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schultz v. Union Pacific Railroad, 257 P.2d 1003, 118 Cal. App. 2d 169, 1953 Cal. App. LEXIS 1530 (Cal. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

VALLÉE, J.

Appeal by plaintiff from a judgment of dismissal entered on the granting of a motion of defendant to dismiss on the ground of forum non conveniens in an action for damages for personal injuries brought under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. 1

Plaintiff, a citizen and resident of the state of Washington, was injured in Washington while in the employ of defendant. Defendant is a Utah corporation, engaged in interstate commerce, authorized to and doing business in Washington and California. Plaintiff commenced the action in the superior court of Los Angeles County and obtained service on defendant in that county. Defendant answered and as a special defense asked that the action be dismissed on the plea of forum non conveniens. The special defense was heard separately on motion. The motion was supported by an affidavit which stated facts showing harassment, inconvenience, and expense, sufficient to have warranted the granting of ■ the motion if the doctrine of forum non conveniens may be applied. The motion was granted and a judgment of dismissal entered.

Plaintiff contends that to deny him the privilege.of maintaining the action in the superior court of this state would violate the privileges-and-immunities clause of the Constitu *173 tion of the United States. 2 Congress has enacted that an action under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act may be brought “in the district of the residence of defendant, or in which the defendant shall be doing business at the time of commencing such action. ’ ’ 3 Defendant appears to concede that the superior court has jurisdiction. 4 Its claim is that although the superior court has jurisdiction, it is not eonlpelled to exercise it, and may dismiss the action under the doctrine of forum non conveniens. We have concluded that by reason of the privileges-and-immunities clause plaintiff’s choice of a forum in this state cannot be denied on the plea of forum non conveniens.

The privileges-and-immunities clause reads:

"The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.” 5

In Chambers v. Baltimore & O. R. Co., 207 U.S. 142 [28 S.Ct. 34, 52 L.Ed. 143], the cause of action, which ran to a nonresident, was grounded on the death of a locomotive engineer which occurred in a foreign jurisdiction. The Supreme Court of the United States announced these principles (52 L.Ed. 146) : “The right to sue and defend in the courts is the alternative of force. In an organized society it is the right conservative of all other rights, and lies at the foundation of orderly government. It is one of the highest and most essential privileges of citizenship, and must be allowed by each state to the citizens of all other states to the precise extent that it is allowed to its own citizens. Equality of treat-men in this respect is not left to depend upon comity between the states, but is granted and protected by the Federal Constitution. . . .

“But, subject to the restrictions of the Federal Constitution, the state may determine the limits of the jurisdiction of its courts, and the character of the controversies which shall be heard in them. The state policy decides whether and to what extent the state will entertain in its courts transitory *174 actions, where the causes of action have arisen in other jurisdictions. Different states may have different policies and the same state may have different policies at different times. But any policy the state may choose to adopt must operate in the same way on its own citizens and those of other states. The privileges which it affords to one class it must afford to the other. Any law by which privileges to begin actions in the courts are given to its own citizens and withheld from the citizens of other states is void, because in conflict with the supreme law of the land." 6

In Miles v. Illinois C.R. Co., 315 U.S. 698 [62 S.Ct. 827, 86 L.Ed. 1129], it was said (86 L.Ed. 1134) : “To deny citizens from other states, suitors under F.E.L.A., access to its courts would, if it permitted access to its own citizens, violate the Privileges and Immunities Clause.”

“ The rule of forum non conveniens is an equitable one embracing the discretionary power of a court to decline to exercise the jurisdiction it has over a transitory cause of action when it believes that the action before it may be more appropriately and justly tried elsewhere.” 7

In Leet v. Union Pac. R. Co., 25 Cal.2d 605 [155 P. 42, 158 A.L.R. 1008], decided in 1944, the Supreme Court of this state held that a plaintiff has an absolute right to have an action under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act tried in a competent state court; that such right cannot be defeated by the doctrine of forum non conveniens; that the state court must exercise jurisdiction; and that California courts cannot refuse jurisdiction. 8

*175 However, in Missouri v. Mayfield, 340 U.S. 1 [71 S.Ct. 1, 95 L.Ed. 3], decided in 1950, the Supreme Court of the United States held (95 L.Ed. 8) a state may “deny access to its courts to persons seeking recovery under the Federal Employers Liability Act if in similar cases the State for reasons of local policy denies resort to its courts and enforces its policy impartially, see McKnett v. St. Louis & S.F.R. Co., 292 U.S. 230 [54 S.Ct. 690, 78 L.Ed. 1227], so as not to involve a discrimination against Employers Liability Act suits and not to offend against the Privileges-and-Immunities Clause of the Constitution. No such restriction is imposed upon the States merely because the Employers Liability Act empowers their courts to entertain suits arising under it.” 9

It is settled that a state court may not decline to entertain an action by a citizen of another state under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, even though the cause of action arose out of the state and the defendant is a noncitizen and nonresident, unless the circumstances are such that the court would also decline the action if brought by a citizen of the state of suit. 10

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Bluebook (online)
257 P.2d 1003, 118 Cal. App. 2d 169, 1953 Cal. App. LEXIS 1530, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schultz-v-union-pacific-railroad-calctapp-1953.