COURT OF APPEALS EIGHTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS EL PASO, TEXAS
JUAN ALV AREZ GOTTWALD and AXIOM, S.A. DE C.V. ,

Appellant s ,

v. ROSA DELGADO DOMINGUEZ DE CANO , LUCIO MARIO CANO BARRAZA , MARIO SERGIO DELGADO DOMINGUEZ, BLANCA DELGADO DE URQUIDI, AND PATRICIA ALVARES OZUNA, Appellee s . § § § § § § § § § No. 08

- 16

- 00044

- CV

Appeal from the
171st District Court of El Paso County , Texas (TC# 2013DCV4096 )

O P I N I O N Appellants, Juan Alvarez Gottwald (Alvarez) and Axiom S.A. de C.V. (Axiom) (collectively Appellants), filed a c ivil suit in Texas against five Texas residents (collectively Appellees) alleging that Appellees caused emotional distress and damages , and were unjustly enriched , after filing a criminal complaint , and /or giving testimony in support of charges , in a Mexican proceeding over a contract dispute involving the purchase of undeveloped real property in Juarez, Mex ico

. Appellants are non

- residents of Texas

. Appellees filed and the trial court granted a motion to dismiss based on forum non conveniens

. Appellants challenge t he trial court ’s2

dismissal order

. We reverse and remand

.
BACKGROUND The Parties Alvarez , the sole director of co

- appellant Axiom , reside s in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Axiom is a Mexican corporation do ing business in Mexico. With one exception, Appellees are all Delgado f amily members

— three siblings and one
in

- law

. Among them, the s ibling s include Rosa Delgado Dominguez de Cano (Rosa Cano) , Mario Sergio Delgado Dominguez (Mario Delgado) , and Blanca Delgado de Urquidi (Blanca Urquidi)

. Lucio Mario Cano Barraza (Lucio Cano) , is the in

- law and he is married to Rosa

. Sibling Mario Delgado and married couple Rosa Cano and Lucio Cano, are all citizens of Mexico who reside in
Texas

. Appellee Blanca Urquidi is a citizen of the United States and resides in Texas

. Appellee Patrici a Alvarez Ozuna (Patricia Ozuna) is the unr elated fifth person named in the suit who facilitated the initial contact between Alvarez and certain members of the Delgado family. Patricia Ozuna has dual citizenship with Mexico and the United States and resides in
Texas

.
Contract to Purchase Land As a lleged in Appella nts’ t hird a mended o riginal p etition, on or about July 23, 2008, Axiom entered into a contract to purchase undeveloped land in Ciudad Juarez , Mexico, from four members of the Delgado family : (1) Appellee Rosa Cano ; (2) Appellee Mario Delgado ; (3) Federico Delgado , who is now deceased and succeeded in interest by Monica Idaly Delgado Nevarez ; and (4) Jesus Delgado , a defendant named in the underlying suit who has not yet been served with
process .3

The purchase price of the property was structured to include both a fixed and a contingent payment : first, Axiom agreed it would initially pa y $1,059,394.08 ; and second, if , within two years, the Delgados obtained government authorization to establish water and sewage utilities for the property , Axiom would then be required to pay an addit ional $2,188,759.68

. There is no dispute the contract was executed in Mexico, and b y its terms, Mexican law governed the transaction , and no part of it required performance in the United States. Appellee Ozun a acted as an intermediary who relayed messages between Alvarez, as director of Axiom, and the Delgados regarding Axiom’s purchase of the Delgado property. Appellee Blanca Urquidi did not participate as a named party to the contract. Although Axiom made t he initial payment as promised, a dispute arose between the parties over the autho rization to establish utilities for the property and the resulting payment owed in satisfaction of the contingency

. Although t he Delgados provided a letter from a government official which purportedly authorized the establishment of utilities , Axiom asserted the letter fell short of authorizing permits acceptable for commercial development as required by their agreement

. Axiom asserted it would extend the time for performanc e of the contingency but it would not accept the authorization as tendered. In opposition, t he Delgado s contended that they had fully performed their duties under the contract, and A xiom owed them the additional payment of $2,18 8 , 759.68

. Under Mexican law , fraudulent insolvency to the detriment of creditors is a crime punishable by a sentence of imprisonment up to four years and a fine

. On or about May of 2011, the Delgados complained to authorities and criminal charges were filed against Alvarez in a
Mex ican proceeding alleging that Alvarez had rendered Axiom insolvent to avoid paying its debt.4

T he Delgados asserted that Alvarez had transferred assets from A xiom to another Mexic an company he controlled thereby causing Axiom to b ecome insolvent. Based on th e criminal complaint, on August 23, 2013, Alvarez was arrested and imprisoned in the Cereso Prison of Juarez, Mexico. A Mexican court later conducted a preliminary hearing in which several members of the Delgado family and others testified. The Mexican court found sufficient evidence to support a preliminary investigation and ordered that Alvarez remain in custody until November 28, 2013. Rather than await trial or appeal the decision, a fter eleven days of confinement, Alvarez paid the Delgado family t he full amount of the contingency payment and all c riminal charges were dismissed a s provided by Mexican law

. Alvarez and Axiom subsequently sued Rosa Cano, Lucio Cano, Mario Delgado, Blanca Urquidi, Patricia Ozuna, Moni ca Idaly Delgado Nevarez, and Je sus Ignacio Delgado Dominguez in the 171st District Court in El Paso C ounty , alleging they caused Alvarez to be imprisoned in Mexico by filing the criminal complaint against him

. 1 Appellants’ causes of action were for abuse of process, conspiracy to abuse process, intentional infliction of emotional distress, conspiracy to commit intentional infliction of emotional distress, and money had and received

. As damages, Appellants sought restitution for the money he paid to the Delgados to obtain the dismissal of the Mexican criminal charge, for emotional distress, and for exemplary damages for “substantial injury and harm

. ” On its own, Axiom also filed suit in a Mexican court against Rosa Cano, Mario Delgado, Mo nica Nevarez, and Jesus D elgado , alleging unjust enrichment and s ought restitution of the same fu nds at issue in the lawsuit filed in El Paso County

. In addition to a plea to the jurisdiction, A ppellees filed a motion to dismiss the El Paso

1 These latter two defendants were never served with process.5

County lawsuit on the ground of forum n on conveniens

. Appellees asserted that the relevant witnesses and physical evidence were in Mexico and controlling legal questions needed to be decided under Mexican law. The trial court granted the motion and issued findings of fact and conclusions of l aw in support of its order. The trial court concluded that (1) a court in Mexico is an alternative forum; (2) that the dispute between the parties was factually and legally a Mexican dispute such that the facts arose in Mexico and Mexican law would be nec essarily involved in resolving the dispute; (3) that both the private and public interests weighed heavily in favor of the lawsuit being litigated in a Mexican court; and (4) that a court in Mexico provided the more appropriat e court to resolve the dispute. Appellants appealed the trial court’s grant of A ppellees ’ motion to dismiss.

DISCUSSION In three issue s , Appellants argue the trial court abused its discretion in granting Appellees’ motion to dismiss on the grounds of forum non conveniens

. Appe llants ’ first two issues challenge the sufficiency of the evidence in support of the dismissal of the case , asserting that (1) no alternat iv e forum was shown to be “available ; ” and (2) no evidence exists to support dismissal. In their third issue , Appella nts contend the evidence e stablished that El Paso C ounty not only maintains jurisdiction over all parties but also provide s a convenient forum that work s no injustice to Appellee s - movants

.
Standard of Review The d etermination of whether to grant or deny a motion to dismiss bas ed o n the doctrine of forum non conveniens is committed to the sound discretion of the trial court. Quixtar Inc. v. Signature Management Team, LLC , 315 S.W.3d 28, 31 (Tex. 2010) ( citing Piper Aircraft Co. v.6

Reyno , 454 U.S. 235 , 257, 102 S. C t. 252, 70 L.Ed.2d 419 (1981)). As such, r eversing a trial court’s dismissal under the doctrine of forum non conveniens is only proper when there has been a clear abuse of discretion

. Id . ( quoting Piper Aircraft Co ., 454 U.S. at 257) (emphasis add ed)

. A trial court commits an abuse of discretion when it acts without reference to an y guiding rules and principles, and when there is no evidence to support its ruling. Id . ( citing Downer v. Aquamarine Operators, Inc ., 701 S.W.2d 238, 241

– 42 (Tex. 1985 ) ); Tullis v. Georgia

- Pacific Corp ., 45 S.W.3d 118, 13 2

– 3 3 (Tex. App.

— Fort Worth 2000, no pet.) ( citing Loftin v. Martin , 776 S.W.2d 145, 148 (Tex. 1989 ) ). I n assessing whether a trial court abused its discretion , relevant factors include the legal and factual sufficiency of evidence support ing the court’s findings. Tullis , 45 S.W.3d at 121

. In determining a le gal sufficiency issue, we consider all evidence in the light most favorable to the party in whose favor the court ruled, and indulge every reason able inference from the evidence in that party’s favor. Formosa Plastics Corp. USA v. Presidio Engineers & Contractors, Inc. , 960 S.W.2d 41, 48 (Tex. 1998)

. A legal sufficiency issue may only be sustained when the record discloses (1) a complete absence of evidence of a vital fact; (2) the court is barred by rules of law or evidence from giving weight to the only evidence offered to prove a vital fact; (3) the evidence offered to prove a vital fact is no more than a mere scintilla of evidence; or (4) the evidence establishes conclusively the opposite of a vital fact. Merrell Dow Pharm.,
Inc. v. Havner , 953 S.W.2d 706, 711 (Tex. 1997)

. There is some evidence to prove the existence of a vital fact when the proof supplied furnishes a reasonable basis for reasonable minds to reach differing conclusions as to the existence of a vital fact

. Orozco v. Sander , 824 S.W.2d 555, 556 (Tex. 1992)

.7 Doctri ne of Forum Non Conveniens
F orum non conveniens is an equitable doctrine exercised by courts t o prevent the imposition of an inconvenient jurisdiction on a litigant

. Exxon Corp. v. Choo , 881 S.W.2d 301,
302 n. 2 (Tex. 1994); Yoroshii Investments (Mau ritius) Pte. Ltd. v. BP Intern., Ltd ., 179 S.W.3d 639, 643 (Tex. App.

— El Paso 2005, pet . denied) ( citing Keller Dev., Inc. v. One Jackson Place, Ltd ., 890 S.W.2d 502, 505 (Tex. App.

— El Paso 1994, no writ )). A trial court is authorized to exercise the doct rine upon its determination that the interests of the litigants and witnesses warrant a different forum. Yoroshii , 179 S.W.3d at 643. The doctrine properly a pplies when personal jurisdiction exits over the parties, but the action has no signif icant connection to the forum. In re Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC , 45 9 S.W.3d 565, 568 (Tex. 2015). Although t he doctrine of forum non conveniens has its roots in common law, in 1993 it was codified to some extent by the Texas Legislature in the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. See Daniels v. State , 538 S.W.3d 139, 146 (Tex. App.

— El Paso 2017, pet. denied) ; T EX
. C IV
. P RAC
. & R EM
. C ODE A NN
. § 71.051 (b ) and (i) (West Supp. 201 7 ). Texas law recognizes two types of forum non conveniens dependent on the type of ca use of action asserted. Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at
146

– 47. First, statutory forum non conveniens a pplies in cases involving personal injury or death.
T EX
. C IV
. P RAC
. & R EM
. C ODE A NN
. § 71.051 (b ) , (i)

. Second, f or all other causes of action, common law forum non conveniens applies to the circumstances

. See Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at 147

- 48

. There are several important distinctions between s tatutory forum non conveniens and common law forum non conveniens which are worthy of ment ion but not exhaustive ly detailed

. First, unlike common law forum non conveniens , statutory forum non conveniens includes mandatory language requir ing dismissal of claims if the court finds it would be in the interest of8

justice and for the convenience of the parties. T EX
. C IV
. P RAC
. & R EM
. C ODE A NN
. § 71.051 (b ) ; Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at 147

– 48

. Second, under statutory forum non conveniens , a court canno t stay or dismiss a claim if the plainti ff is a legal resident of Texas ; t his resident protection provision does not exist in common law forum non conveniens

. Id. § 71.051 (e); Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at 146; In re Elamex , S.A. de C.V. , 367 S.W.3d 879, 887 (Te x. App.

— El Paso 2012, no pet

. )

. Finally, Section 71.051 only applies to “pers onal injury” cases, which this C ourt has recently interpreted as exclud ing torts outside the scope of wrongful death or bodily injury claims. T EX
. C IV
. P RAC
. & R EM
. C ODE A NN
. § 71.051 (i); Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at 147

– 48

. In contrast, common law forum non conveniens applies broadly to all cas es not falling under Section 71.051

. See Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at 148

– 49 (applying common law forum non conveniens analysis to claims for fraud , breach of fiduciary duty, defamation, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, deprivation of First Amendment rights, deprivation of equal protection, and due process, conspiracy to defraud, and conspiracy to obstruct justic e). Does Statutory forum non conveniens A pply to the Causes of Action Asserted?
In Daniels v. State of New Mexico , we recently addressed which type of cause of action constitute s a “personal injury” for the purposes of Section 71.051

. Daniels , 538 S.W. 3d at 147

. In Daniels , the plaintiff sued for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, defamation, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, deprivation of First Amendment rights, deprivation of equal protection and due process, conspiracy to defraud, and conspiracy to obstruct justic e. Id

. Based on a survey of case law regarding Section 71.051, we concluded that actions for dismissal under that statute are confined only to claims of wrongful death or bodily injury and have not been applied to claims for other torts. See id

. Suppor ting this narrow reading, we determined that the9

legislative history of the statute indicated that it was established in response to bodily injury and wrongful death claims arising from out

- of

- state asbestos

- related cases. See id

. Bearing these facts
in mind, we interpreted the legislative intent of Section 71.051’s “personal injury” language as requiring bodily injury. See id. In so doing, we declined to apply statutory forum non conveniens analysis to the plaintiff’s non

- personal injury claims, and ap plied common law forum non
conveniens analysis instead. See id . at 147

– 48

. In this case , Appellants sued A ppellees for abuse of process, conspiracy to abuse process, intentional infliction of emotional distress , conspiracy to commit intentional infliction of emotional distress , and money had and received. Appellants’ claims of abuse of Mexican process and money had and received , and related conspiracy claims, do not sound in “personal injury” within the context of Section 71.051(i) , and so we de cline to apply statutory forum non conveniens analysis to those claims

. See id . (declining to apply statutory forum non conveniens to malicious prosecution and fraud claims). 2 The question of whether Appellants’ intentional infliction of emotional distres s claim is a tort sounding in “personal injury” is a closer call . In Plumley v. Landmark Chevrolet, Inc ., 122 F.3d 308, 311 (5th Cir. 1997), the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decided that an intentional

2 The elements of a cause of action for abuse of process are: ( 1) that the defendant made an illegal, improper, perverted use of the process ; (2) that the defendant had an ulterior motive or purpose in exercising such illegal, perverted, or improper use of process ; and (3) that damage resulted to the plaintiff from th e irregularity. J.C. Penney Co. v. Gilford, 422 S.W.2d 25, 31 (Tex. Civ. App.

— Houston [1st Dist.] 1967, writ ref ’ d n.r.e.). To constitute an abuse of process , the process must be used to accomplish an end which is beyond the purview of the process , and w hich compels a party to do a collateral thing which he would not be compelled to do. Blanton v. Morgan, 681 S.W.2d 876, 878 (T ex. App.

— El Paso 1984, writ ref’ d n.r.e.). We do not believe that this cause of action sounds in “personal injury” in the contex t of Section 71.051. Likewise, money had and received is a category of general assumpsit to restore money where equity and good conscience require refund. Amoco Prod. Co. v. Smith , 946 S.W.2d 162, 164 (Tex. App.

— El Paso 1997, no writ). Thus, this action is based on an injury to pecuniary interests, not bodily harm, and it does not fall into the category of “personal injury” for the purposes of Section 71.051(i) either.10

infliction of emotional distress claim does not con stitute a “cause of action for p ersonal injury” for the purpose of the Texas Survival Statute because that tort does not “injure health, reputation, or body.” In its decision, t he Fifth Circuit relied on Boyles v. Kerr , 855 S.W.2d 593, 598 (Tex. 1993), wh ich stated that there is no requirement that emotional distress manifest itself physically to be compensable in an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim

. See Plumley , 122 F.3d at 311. We agree with the Fifth Circuit’s reasoning, and conclude that because a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress does not require a manifestation of physical injury, 3 it is also not a claim sounding in “personal injury” within the context of Section 71.051. Since none of these claims sound in wrong ful death or personal injury within the terms of Section 71.051 , a nd in light of the controlling precedent of Daniels , we cannot apply statutory forum non conveniens and instead turn to common law forum non conveniens for our analysis

. See Daniels , 538 S. W.3d at 147

– 48 (applying common law forum non conveniens analysis instead of statutory forum non conveniens analysis when the plaintiff’s claims were for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, defamation, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, deprivation of First Amendment rights, deprivation of equal protection, and due process, conspiracy to defraud, and conspi racy to obstruct justice).

3 To recover damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress , a plaintiff mu st establish that: (1) the defendant acted intentionally or recklessly; (2) the defendant ’ s conduct was extreme and outrageous; (3) the defendant ’ s actions caused the plaintiff emotional distress; and (4) the resulting emotional distress was severe. Standard Fruit & Vegetable Co. v. Johnson, 985 S.W.2d 62, 65 (Tex. 1998)

. While physical injury is compensable if shown as a result of intentional infliction of emotional distress , it is not a required showing to prevail on an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim. See id .; Schlueter v. Schlueter , 975 S.W.2d 584, 587 (Tex. 1998) (an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim does not necessarily require evidence of the physical aspects of assault or battery ); Toles v. Toles , 45 S.W.3d 252, 262 (Tex. App

. — Dallas 2001, pet . denied) (if physical harm is present in an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim, it is considered as part of the damages).11 Common law forum non conveniens We now consider whether the trial court abused its discretion in granting A ppellees ’ motion to dismiss under the common law doctrine of forum non conveniens

. See id . at 148

. Generally, a plaintif f’s choice of forum is entitled to deference, and a defendant seeking forum non conveniens dismissal “bears a heavy burden in opposing the plaintiff’s chosen forum.” Quixtar , 315 S.W.3d at 31 ( citing Sinochem Int’l Co. v. Malaysia Int’l Shipping Corp ., 54 9 U.S. 422, 430, 127 S.Ct. 1184, 167 L.Ed.2d 15 (2007)). A non - resident plaintiff’s choice to sue in Texas , however, enjoys “s ubstantially less deference” than it would if the plaintiff had been a resident of Texas

. See id

. at 33. A s such, a defendant’s burden of proof is less stringent when plaintiff s are not Texas resident s . See id

. Availability and adequacy of an alternate forum This appeal necessarily begins with a threshold question of whether a Mexican court provides an “ alternate ” for um. 4 T he doctrine of forum non conveniens presumes that at least two forums are available to the plaintiff to pursue the claim. Sarieddine v. Moussa , 820 S.W.2d 837, 841 (Tex. App.

— Dallas 1991, writ denied) ( citing Van Winkle

- Hooker Co. v. Rice , 448 S.W. 2d 824, 826 (Tex. Civ. App.

— Dallas 1969, no writ). For the presumption to apply, however, there must be a suitable alternate forum that is both “available” and “adequate.” Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at 146 (citing In re Elamex , 367 S.W.3d at 887). A n alternate forum is “ available ” if it has

4 Ordinarily, an alternate forum is shown if the def endant is “amendable to process” in the other jurisdiction. Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno , 454 U.S. 235, 254 n. 22, 102 S.Ct. 252, 265, 70 L.Ed.2d 419 (1981). There may be circumstances, however, where an alternate forum is not adequate because the remedies it offers are so unsatisfactory that they really comprise no remedy at all. Id

. Yet, comparative analyses of procedures and substantive law in different forums should be given little weight in a forum non conveniens analysis because such analyses pose s ignificant practical problems. Id . at 251, 102 S.Ct. at 2 63 . Comparison of the “rights, remedies, and procedures” available in each forum would require a complex exercise in comparative law that the forum non conveniens doctrine is designed to help court s avoid. Id

.12

jurisdiction over all the parties and the whole case , or if there is evidence that all defendants are amenable to process or have consented to process in the alternate forum. Id . ( citing Yoroshii , 179 S.W.3d at 643); Tellez v. Madrigal , 223 F.Supp. 3d 626, 635 (W.D. Tex. 2016) . An alternate fo rum is not considered “ adequate ” if the remedies it offers are so unsatisfactory that they really offer no remedy at all; but different or less advantageous remedies will not render an alternate forum inadequate. Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at 146 ( citing In re ENSCO Offshore Int’l Co ., 311 S.W.3d 921, 924 (Tex. 2010)). The issue of whether an alternate forum is available and adequate is an issue considered in both statutory and common law fo rum non conveniens analys i s, although we note the statutory analysis differs somewhat from the common law approach. Under Section 71.051(b), whether an alternate forum is available is but one of several factors considered in a statutory forum non
convenie ns analysis. See T EX
. C IV
. P RAC
. & R EM
. C ODE A NN
. § 71.051(b)(1

– 2); In re ENSCO , 311 S.W.3d at 925

– 26 (considering availability and adequacy in a statutory forum non conveniens analysis)

. In contrast, under common law forum non conveniens analysis, w hether a forum is both available and adequate is a threshol d question to be answered before a court can weigh the public and private factors considered in a common law forum non conveniens analysis. See In re Pirelli
T ire , 247 S.W.3d 670, 677 (Tex. 2007) (“[t]he Gulf Oil factors presuppose that an adequate alternative forum would have jurisdiction over the case”) ( citing Gulf Oil v. Gilbert , 330 U.S. 501, 507, 67 S. Ct. 839 (1947) ); In re Elamex , 367 S.W.3d at 887 (“[b]ecause the common law doctrine
of for um non conveniens presumes that at least two forums are available to a plaintiff, a trial court
must first determine whether an alternative forum exists, inquiring whether another forum is13

‘available’ and ‘adequate’”) (emphasis added), accord Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at 147; Grynberg v. Grynberg , 535 S.W.3d 229, 235 n.5 (Tex. App.

— Dallas 2017, no pet.) (“[g]enerally, before reaching the Gulf Oil factors, the first step of the forum non conveniens analysis is to consider whether an alternative forum exists that is available and adequate”); Direct Color Services, Inc. v. Eastman Kodak Co ., 929 S.W.2d 558, 563 (Tex. App.

— Tyler 1996, writ denied) (the first step in

a forum non conveniens analysis is t o determine whether an alternate forum is available and adequate because the doctrine presumes that at least two forums are available to the plaintiff to pursue the claim, and the second and third steps in the analysis are to weigh the private and public
i nterest factors). Since we apply a common law forum non conveniens analysis to this case, we will first consider the threshold question of whether a Mexican court is an available and alternate forum as required by the doctrine

.

Is a Mexican court an “available” alternate forum? Here, the record before us shows that Appellants are Mexican citizens, with Alvarez residing in New Mexico and Axiom being a Mexican corporation doing business in Mexico. Since Appellants are non - resident plaintiffs , we ap ply the less stringent standard which lessens Appellees’ burden of proof on their motion to dismiss for forum non conveniens

. See Quixtar , 315 S.W.3d at 31 (a defendant seeking dismissal on forum non conveniens grounds “ordinarily bears a heavy burden in opposing the plaintiff’s chosen forum,” although a non

- Texas resident’s choice of forum receives less deference)

. Next, we must determine whether all parties and all causes of action are available in Mexico. Se e Daniels , 538 S.W.3d at 146

– 47

. Here , at least two of five appellees are clearly14

amenable to process in Mexico : Rosa Cano and Mario Delgado. The record shows that as a condition of the dismissal of Appellants’ El Paso County lawsuit, these two Appellees , Rosa Cano and Mario Delgado , consented to process in a Mexican court for Axiom’s lawsuit against them.
See id

. at 146 ( citing Yoroshii , 179 S.W.3d at 643) (an alternate forum is available where defendants have consented to process in the alternate forum ). Since Axiom filed a lawsuit in a Mexican court, it is established that it has consented to jurisdiction there and that a Mexican court is an available forum as to it. See K2M3, LLC v. Cocoon Data Holding Pty. Ltd. A CN 12 7 993
300 , No. 13

- 11

- 00194

- CV, 2012 WL 2469705, at *6 (Tex. App.

— Corpus Christi June 28, 2012, pet. denied) (mem. op.) (an appearance in a foreign court is sufficient evidence to establish jurisdiction of that court for the purposes of considering its availability in a forum non conveniens analysis). Axiom, however, did not name other Appellees as defendants in its Mexican suit. In short, we may initially conclude that a Mexican court is an available alternate forum for the purposes of a forum non conveniens analy sis as to Axiom, Rosa Cano, and Mario Delgado. The answer is less clear regarding Appellant Alvarez, and Appellees Lucio Cano , Blanca Urquidi, and Patricia Ozuna. It can be inferred that Alvarez would submit to a Mexican court’s jurisdiction since he, as the director of Axiom, filed a lawsuit on its behalf in Mexico. While Appellants’ letter from the Mexican attorney stated that a Mexican court would not have subject

matter jurisdiction over Blanca Urquidi or Patricia Ozuna, it is silent on whether a Mexi can court would have personal ju risdiction over th e se parties. N either of these parties , nor Lucio Cano for that matter, live in Mexico . Further, unlike Rosa Cano and Mario Delgado, Appellees Lucio
Cano , Blanca Urquidi, and Patricia Ozuna , have not conse nted to a Mexican court’s jurisdiction

. Likewise, nothing in the record indicates that any of these parties are amenable to process15

in Mexico, with the possible exception of Blanca Urquidi, who travels to Ciudad Juarez several days a week to engage in a de ntistry practice

. In addition, the trial court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law in support of its grant of Appellees’ motion to dismiss is silent on the issue of whether a Mexican court is available or adequate for the purposes of a forum non con veniens analysis . Without addressing whether the forum is “available” as to all parties , the court’s conclusion of law merely states without further explanation that a court in Mexico is an “alternat iv e” forum. Based on the record before us, we cannot say that Appellees met their burden in proving that a Mexican court is an available forum as to Appellees Lucio Cano, Blanca Urquidi, or Patricia Ozuna, even considering the less stringent standard being applied due to Appellants’ status as no n residents of Texas. See Quixtar , 315 S.W.3d at 31 (a defendant seeking dismissal on forum non
conveniens grounds “ordinarily bears a heavy burden in opposing the plaintiff’s chosen forum,” although a non

- Texas resident’s cho ice of forum receives less deference) ( citing Sinochem Int’l
Co. v . Malaysia Int’l Shipping Corp ., 549 U.S. 422, 430, 127 S. Ct. 1184 , 167 L.Ed.2d 15 (2007) ). Under Texas law, it is possible that a Texas court could assert its jurisdiction over nonresident defendants through the Texas long

- arm statute; yet, the record is silent on whether a Mexican court could exercise similar power over t he defendants living in Texas , and Appellees have not met their burden at the trial court by presenting evidence that a Mexican court would have such jurisdiction over all parties and claims in the case

. 5 See generally T EX
. C IV
. P RAC
. & R EM
. C ODE A NN . §§

5 In other forum non conveniens cases involving foreign courts’ assertion of personal jurisdiction over nonresident defendants, parties have presented evidence, such as affidavits or testimony by experts in international law, to support the notion that a court would have personal jurisdiction over a party, or that a party would be amenable to process in that country. See, e.g., In re Bridgestone , 459 S.W.3d at 577 (defendant present ed testimony by an expert in Mexican law that Mexican courts would have jurisdiction over all defendants in its motion to dismiss for forum non conveniens ); DTEX, LLC v. BBVA Bancomer, S.A ., 508 F.3d 785, 796 (5th Cir. 2007) (both parties presented affidavit s by experts on Mexican law regarding adequacy and availability of foreign forum); In re Dauajare

- Johnson , No. 14

- 14

- 00256

-16

17.041

– .045 (West 201 5 ) (sections relevant to the Texas long

- arm statute, which allows Texas courts to exercise jurisdiction over nonresident defendants); see also BMC Software Belgium, N.V. v. Marchand , 83 S.W.3d 789, 795 (Tex. 2002) (describing the Texas long

- arm statute gene rally). In particular, Appellees have presented no evidence demonstrating that a Mexican court would have personal jurisdiction over Lucio Cano, Blanca Urquidi, or Patricia Ozuna, or that they would be amenable to process in Mexico or have consented to ju risdiction there ; thus , a Mexican court is not an available alternate forum as to those parties. 6
Since there is no evidence in the record to show that there was an available alternate forum
as to all parties , the trial court abused its discretion in grant ing the motion to dismiss on forum non
conveniens grounds. See Tullis , 45 S.W.3d at 131

– 32 (a defendant fails to meet its burden in showing an alternate forum is available when it fails to produce evidence that all parties would be

CV, 2014 WL 3401094, at *4 (Tex. App.

— Houston [14th Dist.] July 10, 2014, orig. proceeding ) (mem. op.) (plaintiff produced expert tes timony from Mexican law expert on Mexico’s jurisdiction over parties). Appellees did not present such evidence in support of their motion to dismiss for forum non conveniens , and based on the record before us, we cannot say with any certainty that a Mexic an court would have personal jurisdiction over Lucio Cano, Blanca Urquidi, or Patricia Ozuna, or that those parties would be amenable to process in Mexico.

6 Nevertheless, Appellees cite to the Texas Supreme Court case of In re Bridgestone for the proposi tions that (1) in the context of a forum non conveniens analysis, Texas courts have recognized Mexican courts’ ability to “seize jurisdiction” when a foreign court rejects a suit on forum non conveniens grounds, and (2) that dismissal on forum non convenie ns grounds was supported even when one of the named defendants stated that he would not submit to the jurisdiction of Mexican courts. See In re Bridgestone , 459 S.W.3d at 577. In Bridgestone , the defendants in the case presented testimony from a Mexican

- law expert in support of similar contentions as are made here, and supportive of the Mexican court’s jurisdiction over all defendants of the case. Id . Yet unlike the defendants in Bridgestone , Appellees here did not similarly present evidence in support of their motion to dismiss that affirmatively showed that a Mexican court exercise jurisdiction over all parties in this case. See id

. As such, we find Bridgestone to be distinguishable, and disagree with Appellees’ argument that a Mexican court would have j urisdiction over all defendants in this case when Appellees did not present evidence establishing that contention. Appellees point to the fact that Appellants’ lawyer’s report mentioned that this case “is not a matter of personal jurisdiction, but of the subject matter jurisdiction of the Mexican court,” since Blanca Urquidi and Patricia Ozuna were not parties to the contract with Axiom, and therefore Axiom is not entitled to sue them under Mexican law. Although we note the Mexican lawyer included a passing comment about personal jurisdiction, the report does not clearly establish that a Mexican court would have personal jurisdiction over Blanca Urquidi or Patricia Ozuna, or that either party is amenable to process in Mexico. Thus, we are unable to c onsider the report as evidence tending to establish either contention.17

amenable to service in a foreign court and subject to its jurisdiction). As we resolve Appellants’ issue by determining that no alternate forum has been shown to be available , we need not address whether the alternate forum provides an adequate remedy, or to address the public and private factors of Gulf Oil as required in a common law forum non conveniens analysis. See In re Elamex , 367 S.W.3d at 887 (“[b]ecause the common law doctrine of forum non conveniens presumes that at least two forums are available to a plaintiff, a trial court must first determine whether an alternative forum exists, inquiring whether another forum is ‘available’ and ‘adequate’”) (emphasis added). Likewise, because we sustain Appella nts’ first issue, we need not address Appellants’ second or third issues at this time. CONCLUSION We sustain Appellants’ first issue, reverse the trial court’s grant of Appellees’ motion to
dismiss for forum non conveniens , and remand the case to the tria l court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. GINA M. PALAFOX, Justice July 13, 2018 Before McClure, C.J., Rodriguez, and Palafox, JJ.