Serving a defendant that is located outside the United States must comply with U.S. law and the law of the defendant’s home country, as well as any international agreement that may exist between the United States and the defendant’s home country, to ensure the service will be enforceable. From a practical standpoint, this means international service of process is time-consuming and expensive in most cases.
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Curt J. Schlom
Curt Schlom is the deputy regional managing partner of Wilson Elser’s Chicago office and a co-chair of the firm’s Product Liability, Prevention & Government Compliance practice. Curt has a diverse civil defense practice that focuses on product liability, general liability, professional and medical malpractice and employment matters. An accomplished, committed and innovative attorney, he has been with Wilson Elser for his entire legal career.
SCOTUS Slams the Brakes on Ford’s Personal Jurisdiction Defense
On March 25, 2021, the United States Supreme Court issued its latest decision on personal jurisdiction in the context of two product liability lawsuits involving Ford Motor Company in the matter of Ford Motor Company v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court et al.
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Even the Great Wall of China Can’t Hide a U.S. Distributor in a Product Defect Lawsuit
The Illinois First District Appellate Court recently held that a U.S. distributor cannot escape liability under the Illinois Distributor Release Statute if the plaintiff was unable to obtain jurisdiction over a Chinese defendant against which a default judgment was issued.
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