T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he H onor abl e J a m e s E . G r i t z ne r , C hi e f U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge ** f orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof I ow a , s i tt i ng byde s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T L AU R O G ON Z AL E Z MOR E NO ,

P la in tif f - A p p e lla n t, v. O M N I L I F E U S A , I N C .,

D e f e n d a n t - A p p e lle e . N o. 09- 55672 D . C . N o . 2 : 0 7 -cv -0 7 9 8 1 -A B C -JC ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia A udr e yB . C ol l i ns , C hi e f D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d M a y9, 2012 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B ef ore: N O O N A N and F IS H E R , C i rc ui tJudg es , and G R IT Z N E R , C hi ef D i stri ct Judg e. ** 

# FI LED MA Y25 2 012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

L aur o G onz a l e z M or e no appe a l s f r om the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s or de rdi s m i s s i ng on f or um non c onv e ni e ns gr ounds hi s c a s e a ga i ns tO m ni l i f e U S A , I nc . W e ha ve j u r i s d i c t i o n u n d e r2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n dw e a f f i rm. Mo r e n o b r o u g h tth i s l a ws u i ti n C a l i f o rn i as t a t e c o u rta g a i n s tOm n i l i f e US A, s e v e r a l r e l a t e dM e x i c a n c o rp o r a t i o n s , a n dO mn i l i f e U SA ’ s o w n e rf

o rc l a i ms a r is in g o u t o f

ab r e a c h o f

a n e m p lo y m e n t a g r e e m e n t. O m n ilif e U S A r e m o v e dth is a c tio n to th e U n ite dS ta te s D is tr ic t C o u rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia b a s e do n d iv e r s ityo f

c itiz e n s h ip ju r is d ic tio n . S h o rtlya f te rf ilin g th is la w s u it, M o r e n o f

i l e da n a c t i o n b e f

o r e aM e x i c a n s p e c i a l a rb i tr a t i o n b o a r da s s e rt i n g c l a i ms u n d e rM e x ic a n la w a r is in g o u t o f th e s a m e e v e n ts th a t le dto th is la w s u it. T h is l a w s ui tpr oc e e de d i n di s tr i c tc ourtbutw a s ul t i m a t e l ydi s m i s s e d on f or um non c onv e ni e ns g r o u n d s . T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt f o u n dth a t M e x ic o p r o v id e da n a d e q u a te al t ernat i ve forum and thatthe bal ance of pri vat e and pu bl i c i nt er es tfa ct ors w ei gh ed i n favor of di sm i ss al . A s of the dat e of di sm i ss al , M oreno h ad on l y bee n abl e t o s e rve O m ni l i f

e U S A . T hi s appe a l f

ol l ow e d. D uri ng the pend encyof thi s app ea l , the M exi can speci al arbi tra t i on bo ar d di sm i ss ed M oreno’ s c as e f or l ac k o f j uri sdi ct i on , fi nd i ng thatM oreno d i d n otm ee t the r e qui r e m e nt s i m pos e d byM e xi c a n l a w w he n a n e m pl oy e e i s t o pr ovi de s e rv ic e s ab r o a d . H o w e v e r , o n d ir e c t c o n s titu tio n a l ap p e a l o f th a t d e c is io n , aM or e no’ s M ot i on R e que s t i ng J udi c i a l N ot i c e f i l e d J une 17, 2010 ( E C F N o. 1 1 8 ) a n dO mn i l i f

e U SA ’ s M o t i o n f

o rJ u d i c i a l N o t i c e f

i l e dN o v e mb e r8 , 2 0 1 1 ( ECF N o. 53) r e ga r di ng tr i buna l pr oc e e di ngs i n M e xi c o a r e both gran te d . 3 M e xi c a n appe l l a t e c ourtr e ve r s e d the s pe c i a l a rbi tr a t i on boa r d’ s di s m i s s a l a nd d i rect ed th e sp eci al arb i trat i o n b o ard t o co n si d er th e m eri t s o f M o ren o ’ s cl ai m s. 1 O n app ea l , M oreno chal l enges the di stri ctcourt ’ s f i nd i ng thatM exi co i s an a de qua t e a l t e rna t i ve f

orum . “ W e r e vi e w the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s or de rdi s m i s s i ng the l aw sui ton the basi s off or um non c onv e ni e ns for an abu se of di sc re t i on . ” Car i j ano v . O c c i de ntal

P e tr ole um C or

p. , 64 3 F . 3d 12 16 , 12 24 (9th C i r. 20 11 ). T he re qu i re m entfor an adequ at e a l t ernat i ve forum i s usual l y s at i sf i ed i f a d e f e n d a n t is a m e n ab le to p r o c e s s in th e f o r e ig n ju r is d ic tio n . P i

per A i rc raf

t C o. v. R e y no , 454 U . S . 235, 254 n. 22 ( 1981) . “ I n r a r e c i r c um s t a nc e s , how e ve r , w he r e the re m edy off

er ed by the other f

orum i s c l earl y unsat i sf ac t ory, the other f

orum m ay no tbe an adequat e a l t ernat i ve, and the i ni t i al re qu i re m entm ayno tbe sa t i sf i ed. ” I d. O ne of these rare ci rc um st ance s w ou l d b e “ w here the al t ernat i ve forum do es no tperm i tl i t i gat i on of the subj ec tm att erof the di sput e. ” I d. O mn i l i f

e U SA pr e s e nt e d undi s put e d e vi de nc e tha tM e xi c o w oul d ha ve j ur i s di c t i on ove ra nd w oul d pr ovi de ar e m e dyf orc l a i m s l i ke M or e no’ s . T he di s tr i c tc ourta l s o f ound tha tM or e no hi m s e l f

c ons i de r e d M e xi c o t o be a n a de qua t e a l t e rna t i ve f orum because M oreno v ol un t ar i l y c ho se t o fi l e s ui tthere . T here fore , the di stri ctcourt4

di d notabus e i t s di s c r e t i on i n c onc l udi ng tha tM e xi c o i s a n a de qua t e a l t e rna t i ve f o ru m. M o r e n o a r g u e s , h o w e v e r , th a t s u b s e q u e n t d e v e lo p m e n ts in h is a c tio n in M exi co re qu i re re vers al of the f or um non c onv e ni e ns di s m i s s a l . I n G ut i errez v . A dvan ce d Medi cal

O pt i cs , Inc. , 6 4 0 F .3 d1 0 2 5 , 1 0 3 1 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 1 1 ) , w e h e ld tha t w he n i nt e rve ni ng de ve l opm e nt s i n a f or e i gn j ur i s di c t i on, s ubs e que nt to ad is tr ic t c o u rt’s in itia l f o ru m n on c onv e ni e ns rul i ng, c oul d l e a ve p la in tif f s w ith o u t a n a v a ilab le f

o ru m in w h ic h to b r in g th e irc la im s , it is app ro pri at e t o rem and the m att erback t o the di stri ctcourtso i tcan r e c ons i de ri t s de c i s i on ba s e d upon upda t e d i nf orm a t i on. I n G ut i errez , w hi l e the appeal of the f or um non c onv e ni e ns di s m i s s a l w a s pe ndi ng before thi s c ou rt , the pl ai nt i ff com m ence d l i t i gat i on i n a fore i gn court , w hi ch d is m is s e df

o rla c ko f

ju r is d ic tio n . I

d. a t 1 0 2 8 . W e f

o u n dr e m a n dap p r o p r ia te because the i nt erveni ng devel op m ent s i n the forei gn j uri sdi ct i on — the forei gn court decl i ni ng t o exerci se j uri sdi ct i on ov erthe pl ai nt i ff s’ ca se s— l ef

tthe pl ai nt i ff

s w ith o u t a n a v a ilab le f

o ru m . I d. a t1031. A t o r a l a r g u m e n t in th e p r e s e n t c a s e , M o r e n o a d m itte dth a t h is a c tio n in M e x ic o is m o v in g f

o rw ar db u t a s s e rte dth a t s o m e , b u t n o t a ll, o f th e d e f e n d a n ts in th e M e x ic a n a c tio n w e r e n o w c h a lle n g in g s e rv ic e o f p r o c e s s . E v e n if

th is c h a lle n g e to s e rv ic e , w h ic h is n o t in th e r e c o r d , w e r e s u c c e s s f u l, M o r e n o w o u ld st i l l be abl e t o p ursue hi s c l ai m s a gai nstthe re m ai ni ng defe nd ant s, and M oreno h as5

m a d e n o s h o w in g th a t th e ab s e n c e o f a n yo f th e d e f e n d a n ts w h o a r e a lle g e d ly c h a lle n g in g s e rv ic e w o u ldim p a c t h is r e m e d y . T h e r e f o r e , th is c a s e is r e a d ily di s t i ngui s habl e f

r om G ut i errez . B e c aus e M e xi c o i s s t i l l a n a va i l abl e f orum a nd M oreno i s a ct i vel y pursui ng hi s c l ai m s there , re m and i s i napp ropri at e. M o r e n o a ls o c h a lle n g e s th e tim e lin e s s o f O m n ilif e U S A ’s m o tio n to d is m is s . O m ni l i f e U S A f i l e d i t s m ot i on t o di s m i s s the da ybe f or e the m ot i on c ut of

f da t e a nd m or e tha n one y e a ra f

t e rM or e no f

i l e d hi s a c t i on i n M e xi c o. C i t i ng no bi ndi ng author i ty , M or e no a r gue s tha tthe de l a yi n f i l i ng the m ot i on w a s unr e a s onabl e a nd s h o u ldr e s u lt in aw a iv e r . D u r in g th is tim e , h o w e v e r , M o r e n o d idn o t e n g a g e in m o tio n p r a c tic e o rp r o p o u n da n yd is c o v e ry , a n dM o r e n o w a s a c tiv e lylitig a tin g h is c l a i m s i n M e xi c o. A s s um i ng w i thoutde c i di ng tha tw a i ve rof ar i ghtt o br i ng a m ot i on t o d i sm i ss for f

or um non c onv e ni e ns coul d o cc ur, w e are sa t i sf i ed that unde rthe f

a c t s of thi s c a s e no s uc h w a i ve roc c urr e d. AF F I RME D.