An appeal court in Texas has ruled that the on-line transactions
of The Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, are insufficient to
confer jurisdiction in Texas for the purposes of a personal injury
lawsuit.
The Riviera’s web site takes room reservations, but according to
the court’s ruling it “offers no line of credit, does not
constitute a contract, nor a business transaction, and thus could
not confer personal jurisdiciton.”
Mary Jane Dawson was allegedly injured when staying at The
Riviera and tried to sue in her home state of Texas, relying on the
casino’s on-line presence to give her local court jurisdiction. The
casino successfully argued that its principal place of business is
in Las Vegas and that it could not be foreseeable that providing
accommodation to Ms Dawson would give rise to a personal injury
lawsuit in Texas.
Judge Don Burgess wrote: “As Riviera’s non-internet contacts are
insufficient to establish general jurisdiction… and as there is no
evidence that Riviera did business over the internet with Texas
residents, Dawson has not satisfied the minimum requirements of the
due process inquiry… Personal jurisdiciton over Riviera is not
proper.”
