Tag: forum selection

New York’s Public Policy On Construction Dispute Venue Trumps Illinois Forum-Selection Clause – IL 2d Dist.

Dancor Construction, Inc. v. FXR Construction, Inc., 2016 IL App (1st) 150839 offers a nuanced discussion of forum selection clauses and choice-of-law principles against the backdrop of a multi-jurisdictional construction dispute.

The plaintiff general contractor (GC) sued a subcontractor (Sub) in Illinois state court for breach of a construction contract involving New York (NY) real estate.  The contract had a forum selection clause that pegged Kane County Illinois (IL) as the forum for any litigation involving the project.  

The trial court agreed with the Sub’s argument that the forum-selection clause violated NY public policy (that NY construction litigation should be decided only in NY) and dismissed the GC’s suit.  Affirming, the Second District discusses the key enforceability factors for forum-selection clauses when two or more jurisdictions are arguably the proper venue for a lawsuit.

Public Policy – A Statutory Source

The Court first observed that IL’s and NY’s legislatures both addressed the proper forum for construction-related lawsuits.  Section 10 of Illinois’ Building and Construction Contract Act, 815 ILCS 665/10, voids any term of an IL construction contract that subjects the contract to the laws of another state or that requires any litigation concerning the contract to be filed in another state.

NY’s statute parallels that of Illinois.  NY Gen. Bus. Law Section 757(1) nullifies construction contract terms that provide for litigation in a non-New York forum or that applies (non-) NY law.

Since a state’s public policy is found in its published statute (among other places), NY clearly expressed its public policy on the location for construction litigation.

Forum Selection and Choice-of-Law Provisions

An IL court can void a forum-selection clause where it violates a fundamental IL policy.  A forum-selection clause is prima facie valid unless the opposing side shows that enforcement of the clause would be unreasonable.

A forum-selection clause reached by parties who stand at arms’ length should be honored unless there is a compelling and countervailing reason not to enforce it. (¶ 75)

A choice-of-law issue arises where there is an actual conflict between two states’ laws on a given issue and it isn’t clear which state’s law governs.  Here, IL and NY were the two states with ostensible interests in the lawsuit.  There was also a plain conflict between the states’ laws: the subject forum-selection clause was prima facie valid in IL while it plainly violated NY law.

Which Law Applies – NY or IL?

Illinois follows Section 187 of the Restatement (Second) of Conflicts of Laws (1971) which provides that the laws of a state chosen by contracting parties will apply unless (1) the chosen state has no substantial relationship to the parties or the transaction and there is no other reasonable basis for the parties’ choice, or (2) application of the law of the chosen state would violate a fundamental policy of a state that has a materially greater interest than the chosen state on a given issue.

The Court found the second exception satisfied and applied NY law.  

Section 757 of NY’s business statute clearly outlaws forum-selection clauses that provide for the litigation of NY construction disputes in foreign states.  As a result, the contract’s forum clause clearly violates NY’s public policy of having NY construction disputes decided in NY.

The question then became which state, NY or IL, had the greater interest in the forum-selection clause’s enforcement?  Since NY was the state where the subcontractor resided, where the building (and contract’s finished product) was erected and the contract ultimately performed, the Court viewed NY as having a stronger connection.  Since allowing the case to proceed in IL clearly violated NY’s public policy, the Court affirmed dismissal of the GC’s lawsuit.

Afterwords:

Forum selection clauses are prima facie valid but not inviolable.  Where a chosen forum conflicts with a public policy of another state, there is a conflict of laws problem.  

The Court will then analyze which state has a more compelling connection to the case.  Where the state with both a clear public policy on the issue also has a clearer nexus to the subject matter of the lawsuit, the Court will apply that state’s (the one with the public policy and closer connection) law on forum-selection clauses.

 

Forum Selection Clause Dismissal Not ‘On the Merits’ – Plaintiff Can Refile in Another State

Ancient_Forum

A forum selection clause is a contract term that specifies where (as in what state) a lawsuit must be filed if there is a future dispute.

In Fabian v. BCG Holdings, 2014 IL App (1st) 141576, Plaintiff sued his ex-employer (a spin-off of the Cantor Fitzgerald security firm whose NYC office was decimated in the 9.11 terror attacks) for breach of contract and under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (IWPCA) claiming unpaid trading commissions and owed stock shares plaintiff under a written partnership agreement.

The partnership agreement contained a Delaware forum-selection provision that fixed exclusive jurisdiction over any partnership dispute in Delaware courts.

The trial court dismissed the IWPCA claim with prejudice and the other complaint counts without prejudice to a future filing in Delaware court.  The plaintiff voluntarily dismissed or “non-suited” the remaining claims.  Plaintiff appealed the “with prejudice” dismissal of his IWPCA claim.

Held: Reversed.

Reasons:

The plaintiff argued that the Delaware forum-selection clause was void because it was forced upon him. He claimed he was given less than 24 hours to sign the partnership agreement in an adhesive take-it-or-leave-it manner.

Under Illinois law, a forum selection clause is generally valid and should be enforced unless (1) the opposing party shows that it would violate a strong public policy of the state in which the case is filed or (2) enforcing the clause would be unreasonable in that it is so inconvenient that it basically deprives the party of its day in court.

Illinois public policy favors enforcement of forum-selection clauses.  Commercially versed parties should be able to freely define the parameters of their private agreement without court interference.  And the fact a court of another state would have to interpret and apply an Illinois statute isn’t enough to void a forum clause on public policy grounds.

When a case is dismissed on forum-selection grounds, it’s not a dismissal on the merits.  That’s because it only resolves the issue of where a plaintiff can litigate his claim.  It doesn’t decide any underlying facts or apply them to the substantive legal issues involved in a given case.

Where a plaintiff non-suits claims after his other claims are (involuntarily) dismissed, he has one year to refile the non-suited claims. See 735 ILCS 5/13-217.  If he does refile, it is treated as a new case; not a continuation of the old case.  This rule is important for appeal purposes: once the plaintiff non-suits his remaining claims, an order previously dismissing another claim becomes final and appealable.

(¶¶16-24).

The Court here agreed with the trial court that there was nothing repugnant to Illinois law in enforcing the Delaware forum provision.  But the court still reversed the trial court’s with prejudice dismissal of the plaintiff’s IWPCA claim.

Since the dismissal of that claim (the IWPCA count) was based on the Delaware forum-selection clause, there was no determination of the merits of the claim.  That is, the court never determined whether the plaintiff was in fact owed money or stocks from his ex-employer. The forum-selection provision only addressed the proper location for plaintiff to sue.  As a result, the trial court’s “with prejudice” dismissal of the plaintiff’s IWPCA claim was improper.  The plaintiff should be allowed to file his IWPCA count in Delaware.

Afterwords:

– A forum selection clause will be upheld unless it violates a recognized policy of the state where suit is filed;

– A dismissal with prejudice is normally improper where merits of case aren’t reached;

– Just because a state has to apply the law of a foreign state isn’t enough to void a forum selection provision.

 

Getting Jurisdiction Over A Foreign Corporation – IL Case Note

Q: Can Spanish companies be subject to Illinois jurisdiction where the companies’ U.S.-based subsidiaries signed contracts that contained an Illinois forum selection clause. 

A: Yes

 In , LLC v. Acciona, 2014 IL App (1st) 123403, the plaintiff entered into a multi-million dollar contract with two U.S. subsidiaries of the Spanish corporate defendants to develop power plants.

The US entities were owned by one or more companies owned by the defendants.

The operative contract documents contained forum selection clauses fixing Illinois as the site for litigation.  When the deal fell through, plaintiff sued the foreign parent companies for damages.

The defendants moved to dismiss on the basis that they lacked sufficient contacts with Illinois and didn’t sign the contract.  The trial court denied the motion and the defendants appealed.

Held: Affirmed.  The foreign defendants are “closely related” enough to the underlying contracts and parties to be subject to Illinois jurisdiction. 

Reasons:  

  • To sue a nonresident defendant in IL the plaintiff has the burden of showing a basis for personal jurisdiction;
  • Illinois courts can assert general or specific jurisdiction;
  • General jurisdiction over a nonresident requires a showing of continuous and systematic business contacts such that it can be sued for matters unrelated to its contacts with Illinois;
  • Specific jurisdiction requires a showing of minimum contacts –that a defendant purposefully directed its activities at Illinois and the litigation arises from those activities;
  • A corporation is subject to general jurisdiction where it is organized under Illinois law or is doing business in Illinois;
  • The Illinois long-arm statute (735 ILCS 5/2-209) permits jurisdiction over a foreign defendant on any basis permitted by the Illinois Constitution and U.S. Constitution;
  • If an out-of-state defendant’s contacts with Illinois are sufficient to satisfy state and federal due process concerns, the Illinois long-arm statute is satisfied;
  • Federal due process requires that a foreign defendant have certain minimum contacts with a forum such that maintenance of the suit doesn’t offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.

 ¶¶ 34-37.

The trial court found jurisdiction on the basis that the foreign defendants were “closely related” to the dispute such that it was foreseeable they would be bound by the forum selection clause. 

In Illinois, forum selection clauses are construed broadly to include related claims ancillary to the contract.  The clauses are generally valid and enforceable and a non-party can be bound by them if it is closely connected to the dispute.  (¶¶ 36-37). 

Where there is a sufficiently close relationship between the non-party, the dispute and the contracting parties, the non-party is considered to impliedly consent to the forum selection clause and a foreign state’s exercise of personal jurisdiction over it.  (¶¶ 43-44).

Applying these principles, the Court found the defendants subject to specific jurisdiction in Illinois.  The Court pointed to the broad forum selection text and the fact that the defendants controlled all business aspects of their subsidiaries; including funding, hiring and firing decisions.

The Court also noted the U.S. subsidiaries had few employees, scant business operations and in one case, was purely a stockholding vehicle for the defendants’ multi-national business ventures.  (¶¶ 47-48).

Afterwords:

– Forum selection clauses are construed and enforced to the letter in Illinois- especially in contracts involving sophisticated commercial parties with equal bargaining power;

– a parent company that sufficiently controls or is intermixed with its subsidiary’s business affairs can be bound by a forum selection clause signed by the subsidiary.