Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-05634/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-05634-33/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 410
Nature of Suit: Antitrust
Cause of Action: 15:1 Antitrust Litigation

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

IN RE TRANSPACIFIC PASSENGER AIR

TRANSPORTATION ANTITRUST

LITIGATION

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This document relates to: ALL ACTIONS

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No. C 07-05634 CRB

MDL 1913

ORDER REGARDING

SOLICITATION OF STATE

DEPARTMENT OPINION

Now pending are thirteen motions to dismiss the Consolidated Class Action

Complaint (CAC), brought by various Defendants in this case. One of these motions argues

that the act of state doctrine compels the Court to dismiss the claims in the CAC against

Defendants Vietnam Airlines Corporation and Thai Airways International Public Company

Limited. See dckt. no. 299. At the motion hearing on November 1, 2010, the Court

expressed its interest in soliciting the opinion of the Department of State on this subject, in

deference to the Executive Branch’s primary role in foreign relations matters. This is a

common practice. See, e.g., Doe v. Qi, 349 F. Supp.2d 1258, 1296, 1298 (N.D. Cal. 2004)

(noting that the “views of the State Department, while not ‘conclusive,’ are entitled to

respectful consideration,” and that “the court has not found . . . a single case in which a court

permitted a lawsuit to proceed in the face of an expression of concern such as that

communicated by the State Department [there]”); Sarei v. Rio Tinto PLC, 221 F. Supp. 2d

1116, 1179-80 (C.D. Cal. 2002) (collecting cases in which district court “requested and

Case 3:07-cv-05634-CRB Document 445 Filed 11/22/10 Page 1 of 2
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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G:\CRBALL\2007\5634\Order re state dept opinion.wpd 2

received a letter expressing the views of the . . . Department of State as to the applicability of

the act of state doctrine”). 

The Court has now concluded that it would indeed benefit from the Department of

State’s view on the following question: whether the act of state doctrine applies to the setting

of passenger air fares by Vietnam Airlines and Thai Airways. Accordingly, the Court hereby

ORDERS counsel for Plaintiffs and counsel for Defendants Vietnam Airlines and Thai

Airways to meet and confer on this issue, and to notify the Court within fourteen (14) days of

this Order of the procedure for soliciting the opinion of the Department of State.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: November 22, 2010 

CHARLES R. BREYER

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 3:07-cv-05634-CRB Document 445 Filed 11/22/10 Page 2 of 2