Texas International Magnetics, Inc. v. BASF AG Aktiegesellschaft

171 F. Supp. 2d 179, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5160
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedApril 25, 2001
DocketNos. 99 CIV. 1580(LMM), 00 CIV. 1982(LMM)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 171 F. Supp. 2d 179 (Texas International Magnetics, Inc. v. BASF AG Aktiegesellschaft) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Texas International Magnetics, Inc. v. BASF AG Aktiegesellschaft, 171 F. Supp. 2d 179, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5160 (S.D.N.Y. 2001).

Opinion

[183]*183 MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

MCKENNA, District Judge.

Texas International Magnetics, Inc., Crown Magnetics, Inc. and Premier Multimedia, Inc. (“plaintiffs”) have filed complaints alleging antitrust conspiracy against BASF Aktiegesellschaft (“BASF AG”) and SKM, Ltd (collectively “defendants”). BASF AG now moves to dismiss the complaint brought against it pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(2) and for summary judgment pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56; SKM moves to dismiss the complaint brought against it pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(2). For the reasons set forth below BASF AG’s motion to dismiss is granted, its motion for summary judgment is denied as moot and SKM’s motion to dismiss is granted.

Background

Plaintiffs have filed two lawsuits alleging a conspiracy to fix the price of magnetic audiotape in the United States during the period 1991 to 1999. Plaintiffs first filed suit against a number of companies, including SKM (“the original action”), and later filed a second suit against BASF AG alone (“the second action”). BASF AG is organized under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany with its principal place of business located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. It is the parent company of BASF Magnetics Corporation (“BASF Corp.”), located in Bedford, Massachusetts and of BASF Magnetics GmbH (“BASF GmbH”), located in Mannheim, Germany, both of which are defendants in the original action. SKM is a corporation organized under the laws of Korea and its principal place of business is located in Seoul, Korea. SKM is the parent corporation of SKMA, Inc., a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Long Beach, California, and is a defendant in the original action.

Legal Standard

Plaintiffs bear the burden of establishing this Court’s jurisdiction over the defendants. See Metro. Life Ins. Co. v. Robertson-Ceco Corp., 84 F.3d 560, 566 (2d Cir.1996). Prior to discovery, a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(2) may be defeated if the plaintiffs’ complaint and affidavits contain sufficient allegations to establish a prima facie showing of jurisdiction.1 Id. Moreover, the Court must assume the truth of the plaintiffs’ factual allegations, PDK Labs., Inc. v. Friedlander, 103 F.3d 1105, 1108 (2d Cir.1997), even in light of defendants’ “contrary allegations that place in dispute the factual basis of plaintiffs’] prima facie case.” Pilotes, Inc. v. Pilotes Inst., Inc., 891 F.Supp. 175, 178 (S.D.N.Y.1995).

Discussion

Jurisdiction Under Section 12 of the Clayton Act

Plaintiffs’ primary argument for jurisdiction over BASF AG and SKM rests on Section 12 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 22. The parties, however, dispute the interpretation and jurisdictional requirements of Section 12. Section 12 provides:

Any suit, action, or proceeding under the antitrust laws against a corporation may be brought not only in the judicial district whereof it is an inhabitant, but also in any district wherein it may be found or transacts business; and all process in such cases may be served in the [184]*184district in which it is an inhabitant, or wherever it may be found.

15 U.S.C. § 22. The first clause of Section 12 relates to venue, the second to service of process, and therefore, jurisdiction. The dispute centers on whether the jurisdiction provision operates independently from the venue provision, specifically, whether “in such cases” in the second clause refers to “any suit, action, or proceeding under the antitrust laws against a corporation” or only to antitrust actions against corporations brought in a judicial district in which the corporation is either an “inhabitant,” “may be found” or “transacts business.” If the first interpretation is adopted, plaintiffs can rely on 28 U.S.C. § 1391(d) which provides for venue in antitrust actions against foreign corporations “in any district” and on the second clause of Section 12 for personal jurisdiction over defendants based on a minimum contacts analysis considering their contacts with the United States as a whole. If the second interpretation prevails the service provision is only effective when, pursuant to Section 12’s first clause, the action is brought in a district where the defendant resides, is found or transacts business. The Court agrees with the several district courts in this Circuit that have addressed this issue and held that the first, and more expansive, interpretation of Section 12 is the proper one, see Daniel v. Am. Bd. of Emergency Med., 988 F.Supp. 127 (W.D.N.Y.1997); Gen. Elec. Co. v. Bucyrus-Erie Co., 550 F.Supp. 1037 (S.D.N.Y.1982); Scriptomatic, Inc. v. Agfa-Gevaert, Inc., No. 72 Civ. 4482, 1973 WL 830 (S.D.N.Y. June 28, 1973), and is unpersuaded by BASF AG’s reliance on a recent opinion by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that held to the contrary.

In GTE New Media Services, Inc. v. BellSouth Corp., 199 F.3d 1343 (D.C.Cir.2000), the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held that the “invocation of the nationwide service clause rests on satisfying the venue provision.” Id. at 1350. In so holding, the Court stated that “we align ourselves with the position taken by the Second Circuit [in Goldlawr, Inc. v. Heiman, 288 F.2d 579 (2d Cir.1961), rev’d on other grounds, 369 U.S. 463, 82 S.Ct. 913, 8 L.Ed.2d 39 (1962) ].” However, the Goldlawr Court does not appear to have been squarely presented with this issue. The case originated in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where the court, finding no jurisdiction, transferred the case to the Southern District of New York pursuant to 1406(a). The defendants argued they had not been served and the plaintiff did not “challenge the determination that the transferor court did not have personal jurisdiction over [plaintiffs].” 288 F.2d at 582. Thus, the question presented appeared to be whether transfer was appropriate while jurisdiction was still lacking, not whether jurisdiction, under Section 12 or any other provision, had been properly found.

With respect to the merits of the argument that the proper interpretation of Section 12 is that the extraterritorial service provision is not predicated upon satisfaction of the venue provision, this Court agrees with General Electric Co. v. Bucyrus-Erie Co., 550 F.Supp. 1037 (S.D.N.Y.1982), where the court found that:

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Related

In Re Magnetic Audiotape Antitrust Litigation
171 F. Supp. 2d 179 (S.D. New York, 2001)

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171 F. Supp. 2d 179, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-international-magnetics-inc-v-basf-ag-aktiegesellschaft-nysd-2001.