Allied’s memorandum of law in support of its motion to 1

dismiss states that it is moving to dismiss under Federal Rule of

Civil Procedure 12(b)(1). (Doc. No. 8-2 at 1). It is clear,

however, that Allied’s defense is that the Court lacks personal

jurisdiction over Allied, not that the Court lacks subject-matter

jurisdiction. Accordingly, Allied’s motion to dismiss is

pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2), not Federal

Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1).

 

 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Harbour Capital Corporation

v. Case No. 08-cv-506-PB

Opinion No. 2009 DNH 106

Allied Capital Corporation

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

Harbour Capital Corporation (“Harbour”) has filed a

complaint against Allied Capital Corporation (“Allied”) alleging

tortious interference with contractual relations and unfair trade

practices under New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (“RSA”) 

§ 358-A:2. Allied now moves to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rules

of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2) and (6) claiming that this Court 1

does not have personal jurisdiction over Allied and that Harbour

has failed to state a claim in Count II. Harbour objects. For

the reasons set forth below, I deny Allied’s motion to dismiss.

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 1 of 23
 I describe the facts in the light most favorable to 2

Harbour, the non-movant. I accept facts submitted by Harbour as

true for purposes of deciding Allied’s motion to dismiss.

-2-

I. FACTUAL OVERVIEW2

A. BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS AND OWNERSHIP INTERESTS

OF THE PARTIES

Harbour, a New Hampshire corporation with its principal

place of business in Newington, New Hampshire, is in the business

of equipment leasing and financing throughout the United States. 

Allied is incorporated in Maryland and is headquartered in

Washington, D.C. Financial Pacific Leasing, LLC (“FinPac”), a

direct provider of commercial equipment leases, is a subsidiary

of Allied and has a principal place of business in the State of

Washington. Direct Capital Corporation (“Direct”) has a

principal place of business in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Direct

and Harbour are competitors in the business of equipment leasing

and financing.

For over seven years, beginning in or around August 2001,

Harbour had an ongoing broker relationship with FinPac. Under

their Broker Agreement, which was signed in New Hampshire by

Harbour’s Senior Vice President of Credit and Operations, Harbour

acted as a broker, referring transactions to FinPac in exchange

for a commission. Harbour performed under the Broker Agreement

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 2 of 23
-3-

at its offices in New Hampshire. The Broker Agreement was

profitable for both Harbour and FinPac. The Broker Agreement

selects Washington in a choice-of-venue provision.

According to an Allied press release and filings with the

Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in the first quarter

of 2007, Allied invested $55.0 million to acquire a majority

interest in Direct. In the first quarter of 2008, Allied

invested an additional $18.1 million in Direct. Since investing

in Direct, Allied has consistently filed 10-Qs with the SEC

identifying Direct as one of many companies in which Allied has a

more than 25% ownership interest. According to an Affidavit

submitted with Allied’s Motion to Dismiss, however, Allied “does

not hold any shares or other direct interest in Direct Capital

Corporation. Instead, Allied Capital has a controlling ownership

interest in a Delaware corporation known as DCC Holdings Inc. 

DCC Holdings, Inc. owns Direct Capital Corporation.” See

Affidavit of Ralph Blasey at ¶¶ 5-6. DCC Holdings, Inc. has a

principal place of business in Portsmouth, New Hampshire at the

same address as Direct. According to SEC Form D filings, Allied

Capital is a beneficial owner of DCC Holdings, Inc. Minority

owners of DCC Holdings include, Edward Broom, Christopher Broom,

and James Broom, the principals of Direct. 

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 3 of 23
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B. ALLEGED TORTIOUS INTERFERENCE WITH BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

 In April 2007, Harbour commenced litigation that is still

ongoing against Direct in Rockingham County Superior Court in New

Hampshire. Several times prior to October 2008, Allied asked

FinPac to terminate its relationship with Harbour. In or around

October 2008, Allied instructed FinPac to discontinue its

relationship with Harbour because of Harbour’s ongoing litigation

with Direct. Harbour alleges that at that time, it was in

FinPac’s economic interests to continue its relationship with

Harbour. On October 20, 2008, however, Terey Jennings, a FinPac

employee, called Chip Kelley, President of Harbour, in New

Hampshire and informed him that Allied instructed FinPac to

terminate its relationship with Harbour. On October 21, 2008,

Jennings forwarded an e-mail attaching a letter to Kelley in New

Hampshire stating “[w]e are being instructed by our parent

company, Allied Capital, to discontinue our relationship with

Harbour Capital Corporation. This is due to ongoing legal issues

Harbour Capital is having with another one of the companies owned

by Allied Capital.” As a result, FinPac’s revenue stream to

Harbour in New Hampshire was cut off. Harbour has suffered

economic loss in New Hampshire as a result of Allied’s

interference.

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 4 of 23
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C. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Harbour has filed a three-count Complaint. Count I alleges

that Allied tortiously interfered with Harbour’s contractual

relations with FinPac. Count II alleges that Allied engaged in

unfair trade practices under New Hampshire’s Consumer Protection

Act, RSA § 358-A:2. Count III alleges that Harbour is entitled

to an award of enhanced compensatory damages.

Allied now moves to dismiss because this court does not have

personal jurisdiction over Allied and because Harbour’s § 358-A

claim fails as a matter of law. Harbour objects.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

A. PERSONAL JURISDICTION

When a defendant contests personal jurisdiction under Rule

12(b)(2), the plaintiff bears the burden of showing that a basis

for asserting jurisdiction exists. Hannon v. Beard, 524 F.3d

275, 279 (1st Cir. 2008). Because I have not held an evidentiary

hearing, Harbour need only make a prima facie showing that the

court has personal jurisdiction over Allied. See Sawtelle v.

Farrell, 70 F.3d 1381, 1386 n. 1 (1st Cir. 1995)(citing United

Elec. Radio & Mach. Workers of America v. 163 Pleasant Street

Corp., 987 F.2d 39, 43 (1st Cir. 1993)).

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 5 of 23
-6-

To make a prima facie showing of jurisdiction, a plaintiff

may not rest upon the pleadings. Rather, the plaintiff must

“adduce evidence of specific facts” that support its

jurisdictional claim. See Foster-Miller, Inc. v. Babcock &

Wilcox Canada, 46 F.3d 138, 145 (1st Cir. 1995). I do not act as

a factfinder when considering whether a plaintiff has made a

prima facie showing of personal jurisdiction. Rather, I

determine “whether the facts duly proffered, [when] fully

credited, support the exercise of personal jurisdiction.” 

Rodriguez v. Fullerton Tires Corp., 115 F.3d 81, 84 (1st Cir.

1997). While the prima facie standard is liberal and I construe

the facts offered by the plaintiff in the light most favorable to

its claim, I need not “credit conclusory allegations or draw

farfetched inferences.” Mass. Sch. of Law at Andover, Inc. v.

Am. Bar Ass’n, 142 F.3d 26, 34 (1st Cir. 1998)(citing

Ticketmaster-New York, Inc. v. Alioto, 26 F.3d 201, 203 (1st Cir.

1994)).

B. FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM

On a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, I

accept as true the well-pleaded factual allegations of the

complaint and draw all reasonable inferences therefrom in the

plaintiff’s favor. Martin v. Applied Cellular Tech., Inc., 284

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 6 of 23
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F.3d 1, 6 (1st Cir. 2002). Although the complaint does not need

detailed factual allegations, “more than an unadorned, thedefendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation” is required. Ashcroft

v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009). “Threadbare recitals of

the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory

statements, do not suffice.” Id. 

III. ANALYSIS

A. WHETHER PERSONAL JURISDICTION EXISTS OVER ALLIED

Allied contends that Harbour has failed to allege sufficient

facts to establish that it is subject to this action in New

Hampshire. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(k)(1)(A) provides

that "[s]erving a summons or filing a waiver of service

establishes personal jurisdiction over a defendant . . . who is

subject to the jurisdiction of a court of general jurisdiction in

the state where the district court is located." Thus, when

assessing personal jurisdiction over a non-resident defendant in

a diversity of citizenship case such as this one, the federal

court "‘is the functional equivalent of a state court sitting in

the forum state.’" Sawtelle, 70 F.3d at 1387 (quoting

Ticketmaster, 26 F.3d at 204). Because New Hampshire’s relevant

long-arm statute, N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 293-A:15.10, authorizes

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 7 of 23
-8-

jurisdiction to the full extent permitted by the Federal

Constitution, the sole inquiry in this case is "whether the

exercise of personal jurisdiction comports with federal

constitutional standards." Sawtelle, 70 F.3d at 1388.

The Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause precludes a

court from asserting jurisdiction over a defendant unless "the

defendant’s conduct and connection with the forum State are such

that [it] should reasonably anticipate being haled into court

there." World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286,

297 (1980). The "constitutional touchstone" for personal

jurisdiction is "whether the defendant purposefully established

‘minimum contacts’ in the forum State." Burger King Corp. v.

Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462, 474 (1985)(quoting Int’l Shoe Co. v.

Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 316 (1945)). The inquiry into "minimum

contacts" is necessarily fact-specific, "involving an

individualized assessment and factual analysis of the precise mix

of contacts that characterize each case." Pritzker v. Yari, 42

F.3d 53, 60 (1st Cir. 1994). A defendant cannot be subjected to

the forum state’s jurisdiction based solely on "random,"

"fortuitous," or "attenuated" contacts. Burger King, 471 U.S. at

475 (quotations omitted). Rather, "‘it is essential in each case

that there be some act by which the defendant purposefully avails

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 8 of 23
-9-

itself of the privilege of conducting activities within the forum

State, thus invoking the benefits and protections of its laws.’" 

Id. (quoting Hanson v. Denckla, 357 U.S. 235, 253 (1958)).

A court may exercise authority over a defendant by means of

either general or specific jurisdiction. Northern Laminate

Sales, Inc. v. David, 403 F.3d 14, 24 (1st Cir. 2005)(citation

omitted). General jurisdiction exists over a defendant who has

maintained "continuous and systematic" activity in a forum

sufficient to establish jurisdiction in that state over all

matters including matters unrelated to the defendant’s contacts

to the forum state. Id. (citing Phillips Exeter Acad. v. Howard

Phillips Fund, Inc., 196 F.3d 284, 288 (1st Cir. 1999)). In

contrast, specific jurisdiction is narrower in scope and exists

only when the cause of action arises from or relates to, the

defendant’s contacts with the forum state. Id. The First

Circuit has set forth three prongs by which to analyze whether

specific jurisdiction exists: "relatedness, purposeful availment,

and reasonableness." Phillips v. Prairie Eye Center, 530 F.3d

22, 27 (1st Cir. 2008); Daynard v. Ness, Motley, Loadholt,

Richardson & Poole, P.A., 290 F.3d 42, 60 (1st Cir. 2002). To

carry its burden to show personal jurisdiction, "[t]he plaintiff

must demonstrate that each of these three requirements is

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 9 of 23
 Harbour states that it is moving on the premise that this 3

Court has specific jurisdiction over Allied, and that “it does

not appear that Allied engages in ‘continuous and systematic’

activity within New Hampshire as required by the general

jurisdiction line of cases.” (Pl.’s Mem. of Law in Support of

Obj. to Def.’s Mot. to Dismiss, Doc. No. 11-2 at 7 n.3.) 

However, if the Court orders jurisdictional discovery on these

issues, Harbour seeks discovery relating to both general and

specific jurisdiction.

-10-

satisfied." Phillips, 530 F.3d at 27. 

Harbour bases its jurisdictional argument on specific

jurisdiction. Thus, the First Circuit’s three-prong analysis of 3

relatedness, purposeful availment, and reasonableness applies,

and I focus my analysis accordingly.

1. Relatedness

“The evidence produced to support specific jurisdiction must

show that the cause of action either arises directly out of, or

is related to, the defendant’s forum-based contacts." Harlow v.

Children’s Hosp., 432 F.3d 50, 60-61 (1st Cir. 2005). The

relatedness prong is a "flexible, relaxed standard," Pritzker, 42

F.3d at 61, which is applied "through the prism" of the

plaintiff’s claims, Sawtelle, 70 F.3d at 1389. In a contract

case, the court must consider whether defendant’s forum-based

activities were instrumental in the formation or breach of the

contract. Phillips Exeter Acad., 196 F.3d at 289. In a tort

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 10 of 23
-11-

case like the present one, the court "must probe the causal nexus

between the defendant’s contacts and the plaintiff’s cause of

action." Id. Courts ordinarily ask both whether "the injury

would not have occurred ‘but for’ the defendant’s forum activity"

(cause in fact) and whether "the defendant’s in-state conduct

gave birth to the cause of action" (proximate cause). Mass. Sch.

of Law, 142 F.3d at 35. The First Circuit has noted, however,

that in cases such as the present case, where “the tort is

intentional interference with a contractual or business

relationship, the two inquiries begin to resemble each other.” 

Jet Wine & Spirits, Inc. v. Bacardi & Co., Ltd., 298 F.3d 1, 10

(1st Cir. 2002). 

A determination of relatedness begins with an identification

of all of the defendant’s alleged contacts with the forum state.

United States v. Swiss Am. Bank, 274 F.3d 610, 621 (1st Cir.

2001) (reasoning that there can be "no requisite nexus between

the contacts and the cause of action if no contacts exist"). In

this case, there is no allegation that Allied’s communication

with FinPac occurred in New Hampshire, nor is there any

allegation that Allied directly contacted Harbour in New

Hampshire. The only Allied contacts with New Hampshire alleged

by Harbour are (1) FinPac’s contact with Harbour in New Hampshire

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 11 of 23
-12-

at the direction of Allied; and (2) Allied’s ownership stake in

DCC Holdings and Direct in New Hampshire. 

Allied asserts that because there is no direct contact

between it and New Hampshire, only contact between FinPac and New

Hampshire, the relatedness prong cannot be satisfied by virtue of

Allied’s alleged instruction to FinPac. Allied contends that

Harbour is seeking to apply a transitive theory of minimum

contacts not subscribed to by the First Circuit in order to

confer personal jurisdiction over Allied based on FinPac’s

telephone calls and emails to Harbour in New Hampshire reporting

Allied’s out-of-state actions. See Mass. Sch. of Law, 142 F.3d

at 35 (rejecting a transitive view of minimum contacts and

holding that there was no contact sufficient for jurisdiction

over C in B’s home state, where A sent a letter to B reporting on

C’s out of forum actions). Further, Allied contends that Harbour

is improperly seeking to satisfy the relatedness prong by merely

asserting that Harbour suffered in-forum injury due to Allied’s

out-of-forum activities. See id. at 36.

Harbour asserts that it is not seeking to apply a transitive

theory of minimum contacts. Nor does it base its claim to

personal jurisdiction solely on the fact that it was injured in

New Hampshire. Rather, Harbour contends that the relatedness

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 12 of 23
-13-

prong of the jurisdictional inquiry is satisfied because Allied

knew of Harbour’s economic relationship with FinPac in New

Hampshire; Allied instructed its subsidiary, FinPac, to terminate

the relationship in order to punish Harbour and benefit Direct;

FinPac acted on Allied’s instructions by contacting Harbour in

New Hampshire and informing it of Allied’s instructions; and the

resulting economic impact was felt by Harbour in New Hampshire. 

(Pl.’s Obj., Doc. No. 11-2). In this respect, Harbour is

alleging not only an effect on Harbour in New Hampshire, but also

that Allied used FinPac to purposefully target an economic

relationship with a New Hampshire locus in order to cause harm to

Harbour and benefit Direct.

Although Allied has an ownership stake in FinPac, 

[t]he mere fact that a subsidiary company does business

within a state does not confer jurisdiction over its

nonresident parent, even if the parent is sole owner of

the subsidiary. There is a presumption of corporate

separateness that must be overcome by clear evidence

that the parent in fact controls the activities of the

subsidiary. 

Escude Cruz v. Ortho Pharm. Corp., 619 F.2d 902, 905 (1st Cir.

1980)(internal citations omitted); see also Cannon Mfg. Co. v.

Cudahy Packing Co., 267 U.S. 333 (1925) (holding that a parentsubsidiary relationship is by itself an insufficient reason to

pierce the corporate veil in the jurisdictional context); Platten

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 13 of 23
-14-

v. HG Bermuda Exempted Ltd., 437 F.3d 118, 139 (1st Cir. 2006);

Donatelli v. Nat’l Hockey League, 893 F.2d 459, 465-66 (1st Cir.

1990) (noting that in order to attribute a subsidiary’s contact

to its parent corporation, the plaintiff must demonstrate "a plus

factor -- something beyond the subsidiary’s mere presence within

the bosom of the corporate family"). This "presumption of

corporate separateness" persists unless Harbour can demonstrate

that Allied’s control over FinPac is "greater than that normally

associated with common ownership and directorship." Donatelli,

893 F.2d at 466 (citations omitted).

FinPac’s October 21, 2008 letter clearly demonstrates that

Allied was exerting control over FinPac. The letter states that

FinPac was acting on a directive of Allied when it terminated its

relationship with Harbour due to Harbour’s litigation with Direct

in New Hampshire. Given this letter, there is no reason to

believe that FinPac would have acted in New Hampshire and

terminated its relationship with Harbour, causing Harbour

economic injury in New Hampshire, but for Allied’s directive. 

Allied’s actions did not merely result in an injury to Harbour in

New Hampshire. Rather, Allied’s actions constituted control over

FinPac’s actions in New Hampshire so as to terminate the

FinPac/Harbour contract. The letter makes clear that Allied

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 14 of 23
-15-

reached into New Hampshire through its subsidiary to interfere

with a contract that was executed in New Hampshire, that was

performed in part in New Hampshire, and that produced profits

derived from trade and commerce in the state. 

Because the evidence indicates that FinPac was acting at the

behest and direction of Allied when it contacted Harbour in New

Hampshire to terminate their Broker Agreement, its conduct can be

attributed to Allied for purposes of the jurisdictional inquiry

and Allied can be said to have directed its tortious conduct at

New Hampshire. Allied’s instruction to FinPac and FinPac’s

following contact with New Hampshire are clearly related to

Harbour’s claims. Accordingly, the relatedness prong is

satisfied. 

2. Purposeful Availment

Harbour must also demonstrate that Allied purposefully

availed itself of the privilege of doing business in New

Hampshire. “[T]he defendant’s in-state contacts must represent a

purposeful availment of the privilege of conducting activities in

the forum state, thereby invoking the benefits and protections of

that state’s laws and making the defendant’s involuntary presence

before the state’s courts foreseeable." Northern Laminate, 403

F.3d at 25 (quoting United Elec., Radio & Mach. Workers of

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 15 of 23
-16-

America v. 163 Pleasant Street Corp., 960 F.2d 1080, 1089 (1st

Cir. 1992)). "The cornerstones upon which the concept of

purposeful availment rest[s] are voluntariness and

foreseeability." Daynard, 290 F.3d at 61 (quoting Sawtelle, 70

F.3d at 1391). In Calder, the Supreme Court identified an

"effects test" to determine whether the purposeful availment had

been satisfied in intentional tort cases. 456 U.S. 783, 788

(1984). To satisfy the effects test, more than the defendant’s

mere knowledge that the plaintiff resides in the forum state is

required. The plaintiff must show that the defendant aimed an

act at the forum state, knew the act would likely have a

devastating effect, and knew the injury would be felt in the

forum state. Id. at 790; see also Noonan v. Winston Co., 135

F.3d 85, 91 n.4 (1st Cir. 1998) (holding that, in the tort

context, "the defendant must only be shown to have intentionally

directed an act, tortious or otherwise, toward the forum state”).

In the present case, accepting Harbour’s allegations as

true, Allied’s voluntary conduct made it abundantly foreseeable

that it would be sued in New Hampshire. See Northern Laminate,

403 F.3d at 25-26 (holding that a New York defendant purposefully

availed itself of New Hampshire where, knowing full well that his

statements would induce the plaintiff’s reliance, the defendant

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made a misrepresentation in the face of the knowledge that his

statements would likely cause financial injury to the plaintiff

in New Hampshire). The impact of Allied’s actions in New

Hampshire was not fortuitous or a mere result of Harbour’s

residence in New Hampshire. Rather, Allied was aware that the

major impact of its actions would be felt in New Hampshire and

aimed its action at the forum state. Despite the fact that the

contract that was allegedly interfered with does not mention New

Hampshire and shows a preference for Washington State, the

October 21, 2008 letter indicates that FinPac’s communication

with Harbour was directed by Allied and motivated by Allied’s

interest in the litigation between Harbour and Allied’s

subsidiary, Direct, in New Hampshire. Allied’s instruction to

FinPac was calculated to cause injury to Harbour in New Hampshire

because of Harbour’s ongoing New Hampshire litigation with its

direct competitor and Allied’s subsidiary, Direct, in New

Hampshire. Based on Allied’s voluntary and purposeful acts, it

could "reasonably anticipate being haled into court" in New

Hampshire. World-Wide Volkswagen, 444 U.S. at 297. Accordingly,

the purposeful availment prong has been satisfied.

Although Allied asserts that it is just as plausible that

its alleged actions were motivated by a desire to make sure that

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 17 of 23
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FinPac was not damaged by doing business with a litigious company

like Harbour, taking the facts offered by Harbour as true and

construing them in the light most favorable to its claim, I find

that the letter to Harbour indicates that Allied was motivated by

Harbour’s litigation with Direct in New Hampshire, suggesting

that Allied sought to harm Harbour and benefit Direct in New

Hampshire.

3. Reasonableness

Finally, the reasonableness of the exercise of jurisdiction

over Allied must be considered in light of certain "gestalt

factors." Daynard, 290 F.3d at 62 (citing World-Wide Volkswagen,

444 U.S. at 292). 

These gestalt factors include: the defendant’s burden

of appearing; the forum State’s interest in

adjudicating the dispute; the plaintiff’s interest in

obtaining convenient and effective relief; the

interstate judicial system’s interest in obtaining the

most efficient resolution of the controversy; and the

shared interest of the several States in furthering

fundamental substantive social policies. 

Northern Laminate, 403 F.3d at 26 (citing Burger King, 471 U.S.

at 477). 

The factors favoring litigation of this dispute in New

Hampshire include New Hampshire’s interest in redressing harms

against its citizens in New Hampshire. New Hampshire has an

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 18 of 23
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interest in obtaining jurisdiction over a defendant who causes

tortious injury within its borders. See Ticketmaster, 26 F.3d at

211. Further, Harbour’s interest in obtaining convenient and

effective relief from a court in its own state weighs in favor of

litigation of this dispute in New Hampshire. Although Allied

contends that the interstate judicial system’s interest in an

efficient administration of justice would not be best satisfied

by litigating in New Hampshire because potential witnesses and

evidence will be located in Washington State and Washington D.C.,

the interest of the judicial system does not appear to cut in

either direction here because potential witnesses and evidence

are also located in New Hampshire. 

The only gestalt factor weighing in Allied’s favor is

Allied’s burden of appearing in New Hampshire. Defending in a

foreign jurisdiction, however, "almost always presents some

measure of inconvenience, and hence this factor becomes

meaningful only where a party can demonstrate a ‘special or

unusual burden.’" Sawtelle, 70 F.3d at 1395 (quoting Pritzker,

42 F.3d at 64. In the present case, Allied has provided no

argument why the burden of defending in New Hampshire outweighs

the factors favoring New Hampshire as a forum. 

Jurisdiction over Allied in New Hampshire is certainly

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 19 of 23
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reasonable. Accordingly, I conclude that subjecting Allied to

jurisdiction of the courts in New Hampshire would not violate the

Federal Constitution.

B. WHETHER HARBOUR STATES A CLAIM UNDER RSA § 358-A:2

IN COUNT II

RSA § 358-A:2 makes it unlawful for a person to unfairly

compete or use “any unfair or deceptive act or practice in the

conduct of any trade or commerce within this state.” In Count

II, Harbour alleges that Allied violated the New Hampshire

Consumer Protection Act, RSA § 358-A, "by instructing FinPac to

discontinue its relationship with Harbour Capital due to the

ongoing legal issues Harbour Capital is having with Direct

Capital." (Cmplt. ¶ 30). 

Allied asserts that Count II fails to state a claim under

RSA § 358-A:2 because Harbour has not, and cannot, sufficiently

allege that any of Allied’s actions occurred in New Hampshire as

required by the statute. Allied contends that the only unfair

and deceptive practice alleged in the Complaint was Allied’s

instruction to FinPac to discontinue its relationship with

Harbour, and that instruction did not occur in New Hampshire. In

response, Harbour concedes that Allied’s unfair and deceptive act

did not occur in New Hampshire but argues that RSA § 358-A:2 does

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 20 of 23
-21-

not require that the action in question take place within the

territorial limits of New Hampshire. 

I agree with Allied. Although RSA § 358-A:2 is not free

from ambiguity, the most natural way to read the provision is to

construe it to cover a defendant’s extra-territorial acts if

those acts affect travel or commerce within the state. 

Allied does not explain how its alternative reading of RSA §

358-A:2 can be squared with the statutory language. Instead, it

relies exclusively on several rulings by other judges on this

court that have applied the statute in somewhat different

contexts. See Mueller Co. v. U.S. Pipe & Foundry Co., 2003 DNH

168, 2003 WL 22272135, at *6 n.5 (Oct. 2, 2003); Environamics

Corp. v. Ferguson Enters., Inc., 2001 DNH 175, 2001 WL 1134727,

at *4 (Sept. 24, 2001); Pacamor Bearings, Inc. v. Minebea Co.,

Ltd., 918 F. Supp. 491, 504 (D.N.H. 1996). These cases, however,

do not conflict with my interpretation of RSA § 358-A:2. In both

Pacamor and Environamics, trade or commerce had occurred in New

Hampshire. In Pacamor, the court denied the defendant’s motion

to exclude evidence relative to conduct outside of New Hampshire 

because the territoriality requirement was satisfied by the fact

that the defendant conducted business within New Hampshire. 918

F. Supp. at 504. In Environamics, the court held that the

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 21 of 23
-22-

plaintiff’s claim was sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss

where the defendant shipped a product and its allegedly false

documentation into New Hampshire. 2001 WL 1134727 at *4. 

Further, in Mueller, the court granted the defendant’s motion to

dismiss a claim under RSA § 358-A:2 where the plaintiff suffered

harm within New Hampshire, but no commercial conduct occurred in

the state. 2003 WL 22272135 at *6.

None of the cases cited by Allied persuade me that a

defendant may injure trade or commerce in New Hampshire but

escape liability under RSA § 358-A by remaining outside the

state. Thus, I reject Allied’s motion to dismiss Count II

because Harbour’s complaint sufficiently alleges that Allied’s

allegedly unfair and deceptive act injured trade or commerce

within the state.

IV. CONCLUSION

For all of the foregoing reasons, I deny Allied’s motion to

dismiss (Doc. No. 8).

/s/Paul Barbadoro 

Paul Barbadoro

United States District Judge

July 21, 2009

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 22 of 23
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cc: William E. Christie, Esq.

Steven M. Gordon, Esq.

James F. Ogorchock, Esq.

John Mark Turner, Esq.

Case 1:08-cv-00506-PB Document 17 Filed 07/21/09 Page 23 of 23