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 by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. 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 DE MOC R AC Y C OU NC I L OF C AL I F ORNI A, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. W RN L IM IT E D , P L C , a P ri vat e L i m i t ed C o m p a n y ; W RN M E D I A L I M I T E D , a H o n g K o n g C o m p an y, D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 10- 56540 D . C. N o . 2 : 1 0 - c v - 0 5 0 8 8 - PSG - SH 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 P hi l i p S . G ut i e rr e z , 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 r c h 7, 2012 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: P R E G E R S O N , G O U L D , an d T A L L M A N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. T hi s di ve r s i ty a c t i on a r i s e s f r om adi s put e be tw e e n pl a i nt i f f - appe l l a nt D e m o c r a c y C o u n c il o f

C a lif o rn ia( “D C C ” ) a n d d e f

e n d a n ts - ap p e lle e s W RN L td ., P L C , w hi c h i s ba s e d i n L ondon, a nd W RN M e di aL t d. , w hi c h i s ba s e d i n H ong 

# FI LED MA R 15 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

K ong ( t oge the r , “ W RN ” ) . T he di s tr i c tc ourtdi s m i s s e d the c a s e f ori m pr ope rve nue unde rR ul e 12( b) ( 3) of

the F e de r a l R ul e s of

C i vi l P r oc e dur e . W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on, 2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f f i rm. T he di s tr i c tc ourtc orr e c t l y de t e rm i ne d tha tD C C c ons e nt e d t o aH ong K ong f o ru m s e le c tio n c lau s e u n d e rC a lif o rn ia ’s in c o rp o r a tio n - b y - r e f e r e n c e d o c tr in e . See T royk v. Farm er

s G roup , Inc. , 171 C a l . A pp. 4th 1305, 1331 ( 2009) . A l though D C C ’ s a tt orne y i ndi c a t e d e a r l y i n ne got i a t i ons tha the ne e de d t o gi ve the H ong K o n g fo ru m se lectio n clau se “so m e th o u g h t, ” a n y a m b ig u ity r eg ar d in g D C C ’s consentw as re sol ved w hen— al m osttw o m on ths l at erand w i tho utany f urther c o m m e n t— D C C s ig n e d th e A m e n d m e n t to S e rv ic e O r d e rF o rm , w h ic h e x p r e s s ly r a t i f i e d a l l othe rt e rm s a nd c ondi t i ons “ note xpl i c i t l ya m e nde d he r e by. . . . ” T he A m e ndm e ntthus c onf

i rm e d tha tthe pa rt i e s a gr e e d t o the G e ne r a l T e rm s a nd C o n d itio n s , in c lu d in g th e H o n g K o n g f o ru m s e le c tio n c lau s e . Se e R oth v . M al s on , 67 C a l . A pp. 4th 552, 557 ( 1998) ( “ C ontr a c tf orm a t i on i s gove rne d byobj e c t i ve m ani fe st at i on s, no tsubj ec t i ve i nt entof any i nd i vi du al i nv ol ved. T he t es ti s w hat th e o u tw a r d m a n if

e s ta tio n s o f

c o n s e n t w o u ld le a d ar e a s o n ab le p e r s o n to b e lie v e .” ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s a n d c ita tio n o m itte d ) ) . T he di s tr i c tc ourtdi d notabus e i t s di s c r e t i on i n c onc l udi ng tha te nf or c e m e nt o f th e H o n g K o n g f

o ru m s e le c tio n c lau s e is n o t u n r e a s o n ab le . See A rgueta v.3

Ba n c o Mex i c a n o , S. A. , 87 F . 3d 320, 325 ( 9th C i r . 1996) . T he r e i s no e vi de nc e of f r au d o ro v e rr e a c h in g b y W RN . A n d D C C w ill n o t b e d e p r iv e d o f its d a yin c o u rt: D C C ha s appe a r e d thr ough c ouns e l ( a tl e a s tf orl i m i t e d purpos e s ) i n the ongoi ng l i t i ga t i on i n H ong K ong. AF F I R ME D.