Question

2. The National Enquirer, Inc. is a corporation with its principal place of business in Florida. It publishes the National Enquirer, a national weekly newspaper with a total circulation of more than 5 million copies. About 600,000 copies are sold in California. In 1979, the Enquirer published an article about Shirley Jones, an entertainer. Jones, a California resident, filed a lawsuit in a California court against the Enquirer for defamation, invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress. Do the California courts have subject matter jurisdiction in this case

Answer 1

Answer:

Yes, if California court have a long-arm statute.

Explanation:

In the context, Shirley Jones who is an entertainer files a lawsuit against a news agency, named the National Enquirer Inc. for invasion of privacy, defamation and infliction of emotional distress in the court of California.

The National Enquirer Inc. has its main business place at Florida while Shirley Jones is a resident of California. But The National Enquirer circulates about 600,000 copies of its national weekly in California.

Now, according to the Supreme Court, if a court has a long-arm statute, which refers to the jurisdiction of a court over a non resident or an defendant of an out-of-state corporation. Any state are allowed to perform this jurisdiction, if the government or the state can proved or show that the defendant have some at least minimum connection with the forum state.