Rundell and LaFleur Secure Dismissal of Trademark/Copyright case for lack of personal jurisdiction

March 16, 2022

Firm attorneys, Edward E. Rundell and Stephen A. LaFleur, successfully challenged the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana’s personal jurisdiction over their client, a North Carolina company, in a case alleging Trademark and Copyright infringement.
 
They argued that the Plaintiff’s complaint failed to properly allege the requisite minimum contacts with Louisiana and that the complaint lacked the facts to support “purposeful availment” of doing business in Louisiana.  The court dismissed the case, but allowed Plaintiff thirty days in which to file an amended complaint.  Plaintiff moved the court to extend that deadline to permit jurisdictional discovery, which Defendant opposed.  The motion for limited discovery was denied because “Plaintiff failed to make out a prima facie case for both general and specific personal jurisdiction” as was required to justify limited discovery.  The dismissal of all claims became final with the passage of thirty days with no amended complaint being filed.