Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/997/974/382024/
Timestamp: 2020-06-05 06:47:36
Document Index: 181973767

Matched Legal Cases: ['art. 13', '§ 80', '§ 3803', '§ 80', '§ 1404', '§ 3803']

Pedro Pablo Blanco, F. and Jesus Vasquez Mancera, Astrustees for Proyecfin De Venezuela, S.a.,plaintiffs-appellees,inversiones Eufrates, S.a., Inversiones Gusanca, C.a.,plaintiffs-intervenors-appellants, v. Banco Industrial De Venezuela, S.a., Defendant-appellee, 997 F.2d 974 (2d Cir. 1993) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Second Circuit › 1993 › Pedro Pablo Blanco, F. and Jesus Vasquez Mancera, Astrustees for Proyecfin De Venezuela, S.a.,plaint...
Pedro Pablo Blanco, F. and Jesus Vasquez Mancera, Astrustees for Proyecfin De Venezuela, S.a.,plaintiffs-appellees,inversiones Eufrates, S.a., Inversiones Gusanca, C.a.,plaintiffs-intervenors-appellants, v. Banco Industrial De Venezuela, S.a., Defendant-appellee, 997 F.2d 974 (2d Cir. 1993)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit - 997 F.2d 974 (2d Cir. 1993) Argued Oct. 21, 1992. Decided April 30, 1993. As Amended June 10, 1993
[Proyecfin and BIV agree] that any legal action or proceedings arising out of or in connection with this Agreement may be brought [emphasis added] in the High Court of Justice in England, the Courts of the State of New York, the Courts of the United States of America in New York or the Courts of the City of Caracas, Venezuela, irrevocably submit [ ] to the jurisdiction of each such court and agree [ ] that any writ, judgment or other notice of legal process shall be sufficiently served on [them] (i) in connection with proceedings in England, if delivered to the Law Debenture Corporation, Limited at Estates House, 66 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7HX or its other registered office for the time being and (ii) in connection with proceedings in New York, if delivered to CT Corporation System at 277 Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017, U.S.A. or [its other] principal place of business in New York for the time being.
In addition, the Loan Agreement contains implementing provisions regarding issuance of process, enforcement and execution of court orders and judgments, and waiver of any immunity therefrom, specifically including (in the case of actions in state or federal courts in New York) any immunity provided by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (the "FSIA"), Pub. L. No. 94-583, 90 Stat. 2891 (codified as amended in scattered sections of 28 U.S.C.). The Loan Agreement also provides that it is to be "governed by and construed in accordance with English law," and "signed in the English language and subsequently translated into the Spanish language [,] provided however that in the event of any conflict arising as to the interpretation of any provision the English version shall prevail." It further specifies that " [t]he dollar is the currency of account ... hereunder," and that payments thereunder are to be made in New York City.
The district court then dismissed the action sua sponte for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and an appeal was taken to this court. Our opinion on that appeal is reported as Proyecfin de Venezuela, S.A. v. Banco Industrial de Venezuela, S.A., 760 F.2d 390 (2d Cir. 1985) ("Proyecfin I "), familiarity with which is assumed.
We are not concerned that United States courts will become the courts of choice for local disputes between foreign plaintiffs and foreign sovereign defendants and thus be reduced to "international courts of claims". Verlinden [B.V. v. Central Bank of Nigeria, 461 U.S. 480, 490, 103 S. Ct. 1962, 1969, 76 L. Ed. 2d 81 (1983) ]. The traditional doctrine of forum non conveniens is still applicable in cases arising under the [FSIA]. Appellee, of course, may raise that issue in the district court on remand from this Court.
Meanwhile, in the United States, BIV moved in the district court (after the remand in Proyecfin I) for dismissal of this action on the basis of forum non conveniens. By order entered October 8, 1986, the district court denied that motion, opining that " [t]he forum, language, and choice of law provisions contained in the [Loan Agreement] and the international nature of the contract suggest that plaintiff's choice of forum not be disturbed."
On November 29, 1989, the Trustees moved to dismiss the action pursuant to the "inherent authority" of the court or Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(a) (2), or alternatively for a stay of all proceedings until final determination of the Venezuelan bankruptcy proceedings. In response, by memorandum order entered April 3, 1992, the district court dismissed the action on the basis of forum non conveniens. The court reasoned that because of the substitution of the Trustees and intervention of the Intervenors in the aftermath of the court's prior denial of BIV's motion to dismiss for forum non conveniens, " [t]he principal issues presently in dispute concern whether shareholder derivative actions, or direct shareholder suits against third parties or trustees, are permissible in this case." The court also noted that Proyecfin, no longer a debtor-in-possession, was undergoing liquidation in the Bankruptcy Court. The court concluded that:
We note at the outset that forum non conveniens determinations are "committed to the sound discretion of the trial court ... [and] may be reversed only when there has been a clear abuse of discretion." Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235, 257, 102 S. Ct. 252, 266, 70 L. Ed. 2d 419 (1981); see also R. Maganlal & Co. v. M.G. Chemical Co., 942 F.2d 164, 167 (2d Cir. 1991) ("A district court has broad discretion in deciding whether to dismiss an action on grounds of forum non conveniens.") (citing Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 257, 102 S. Ct. at 267).
In Proyecfin I, we described the Forum Provision as a "forum selection clause." 760 F.2d at 397. We emphasized, however, that the Forum Provision was permissive in its language ("may be brought"), and "le [ft] open the possibility that an action could be brought in any forum where jurisdiction can be obtained either inside or outside of Venezuela." Id. at 396. The permissive nature of the clause is not strengthened by the sort of language used in the agreement in Credit Francais Int'l, S.A. v. Sociedad Financiera de Comercio, C.A., 128 Misc.2d 564, 490 N.Y.S.2d 670 (Sup.Ct.1985); that clause, while identifying fora in which suit "may" be brought, added both the defendant's "irrevocabl [e] consent [ ]" to suit in those designated fora at the plaintiff's election and the defendant's waiver of forum non conveniens objections. See id. at 567, 490 N.Y.S.2d at 674.
It is thus clear that the Forum Provision is not at all comparable to the clause addressed in M/S Bremen v. Zapata Off-Shore Co., 407 U.S. 1, 92 S. Ct. 1907, 32 L. Ed. 2d 513 (1972), a case on which the Intervenors strongly but unavailingly rely on this appeal. In Bremen, the governing contract stated that " [a]ny dispute arising must be treated before the London Court of Justice." Id. at 2, 92 S. Ct. at 1909 (emphasis added). In interpreting this provision, the Court concluded that "the forum clause should control absent a strong showing that it should be set aside," id. at 15, 92 S. Ct. at 1916; i.e., unless the party who sought to escape application of the clause "could clearly show that [its] enforcement would be unreasonable and unjust, or that the clause was invalid for such reasons as fraud or overreaching." Id.
Rather, as Proyecfin I intimated, 760 F.2d at 394, normal forum non conveniens analysis is applicable here. See Banco Metropolitano, S.A. v. Desarrollo de Autopistas y Carreteras de Guatemala, Sociedad Anonima, 616 F. Supp. 301, 304-05 (S.D.N.Y. 1985) (normal forum non conveniens analysis, rather than Bremen standard, applied to forum selection clause deemed permissive rather than mandatory) (citing Proyecfin I) . We accordingly proceed to address the forum non conveniens issue in terms of the generally applicable standards, rather than the heightened scrutiny required by Bremen for mandatory forum selection clauses.
The leading case in this area is Gulf Oil Corp. v. Gilbert, 330 U.S. 501, 67 S. Ct. 839, 91 L. Ed. 1055 (1947). In addition, the Supreme Court provided an extensive gloss upon Gilbert's teaching in Piper Aircraft.
Piper Aircraft cited Gilbert and its companion case, Koster v. Lumbermens Mut. Casualty Co., 330 U.S. 518, 67 S. Ct. 828, 91 L. Ed. 1067 (1947), for the proposition that "a plaintiff's choice of forum should rarely be disturbed." Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 241, 102 S. Ct. at 258. As the phrasing of this formulation indicates, however, the plaintiff's selection will not invariably be upheld, or there would be no forum non conveniens doctrine to consider. Indeed, the plaintiff's choice was overturned in Gilbert, Koster, and Piper Aircraft.
Gilbert also establishes that an adequate alternative forum must be available in order for a case to be dismissed on the basis of forum non conveniens. 330 U.S. at 506-07, 67 S. Ct. at 842; see also Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 254 n. 22, 102 S. Ct. at 265 n. 22. Finally, Gilbert articulated a number of private interest and public interest factors as relevant to forum non conveniens determinations. Piper Aircraft summarized them in these terms:
The factors pertaining to the private interests of the litigants included the "relative ease of access to sources of proof; availability of compulsory process for attendance of unwilling, and the cost of obtaining attendance of willing, witnesses; possibility of view of premises, if view would be appropriate to the action; and all other practical problems that make trial of a case easy, expeditious and inexpensive." Gilbert, 330 U.S., at 508, 67 S. Ct., at 843. The public factors bearing on the question included the administrative difficulties flowing from court congestion; the "local interest in having localized controversies decided at home"; the interest in having the trial of a diversity case in a forum that is at home with the law that must govern the action; the avoidance of unnecessary problems in conflict of laws, or in the application of foreign law; and the unfairness of burdening citizens in an unrelated forum with jury duty. Id. at 509, 67 S. Ct., at 843.
454 U.S. at 241 n. 6, 102 S. Ct. at 258 n. 6; see also Borden, Inc. v. Meiji Milk Prods. Co., 919 F.2d 822, 827-28 (2d Cir. 1990), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S. Ct. 2259, 114 L. Ed. 2d 712 (1991).
As discussed supra, considerable deference must be accorded a plaintiff's choice of a forum, but the Forum Provision does not impart any special significance to Proyecfin's initial selection of a New York forum. Further, it is noteworthy that the Trustees have consistently sought the dismissal of this action since being substituted as parties plaintiff on behalf of Proyecfin. Cf. In re Union Carbide Corp. Gas Plant Disaster, 809 F.2d 195, 202 (2d Cir.) (little or no deference due to choice of United States forum by Indian plaintiffs who had revoked authorization of American counsel to represent them and substituted Indian government, which preferred Indian courts), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 871, 108 S. Ct. 199, 98 L. Ed. 2d 150 (1987).
In addition, Piper Aircraft stated that " [b]ecause the central purpose of any forum non conveniens inquiry is to ensure that the trial is convenient, a foreign plaintiff's choice deserves less deference." 454 U.S. at 256, 102 S. Ct. at 266. We have ruled, however, that when a treaty with a foreign nation accords its nationals access to our courts equivalent to that provided American citizens, identical forum non conveniens standards must be applied to such nationals by American courts. See Irish Nat'l Ins. Co. v. Aer Lingus Teoranta, 739 F.2d 90, 91-92 (2d Cir. 1984); Alcoa S.S. Co. v. M/V Nordic Regent, 654 F.2d 147, 152-53 (2d Cir.) (in banc), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 890, 101 S. Ct. 248, 66 L. Ed. 2d 116 (1980); Farmanfarmaian v. Gulf Oil Corp., 588 F.2d 880, 882 (2d Cir. 1978). Because such a treaty exists between the United States and Venezuela, see Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Navigation and Commerce, Jan. 20, 1836, U.S.-Venez., art. 13, 8 Stat. 466, 472, no discount may be imposed upon the plaintiff's initial choice of a New York forum in this case solely because Proyecfin is a foreign corporation.
As Gilbert made clear, however, a plaintiff's choice of forum may be overturned when "the balance [of relevant considerations] is strongly in favor of the defendant." 330 U.S. at 508, 67 S. Ct. at 843; see also Farmanfarmaian, 588 F.2d at 881-82 (dismissing suit by Iranian national on the basis of forum non conveniens despite treaty that mandated court access equivalent to American citizen). For the reasons that follow, we find that the presence of an adequate Venezuelan forum, and the strong adverse balance of Gilbert private and public factors, outweigh the initial choice by Proyecfin of a New York forum, and the Intervenors' continuing effort to adopt that selection.
As we have noted, Gilbert requires that there be an adequate alternative forum in order for a forum non conveniens dismissal to be granted. 330 U.S. at 506-07, 67 S. Ct. at 842. The Court further explained in Piper Aircraft:
Ordinarily, this requirement will be satisfied when the defendant is "amenable to process" in the other jurisdiction. Gilbert, 330 U.S., at 506-507, 67 S. Ct., at 842. In rare circumstances, however, where the remedy offered by the other forum is clearly unsatisfactory, the other forum may not be an adequate alternative, and the initial requirement may not be satisfied.
454 U.S. at 254 n. 22, 102 S. Ct. at 265 n. 22.
We are not persuaded by these protestations. It is at least anomalous for a Venezuelan corporation to contract with a Venezuelan bank for the financing of a housing project in Venezuela, specify in both pertinent contracts that litigation concerning them may be brought in Venezuela, and then argue to an American court that the Venezuelan system of justice is so endemically incompetent, biased, and corrupt as not to provide an adequate forum for the resolution of such contractual disputes. We note in this regard a number of cases that have explicitly or implicitly concluded that Venezuela is an adequate alternative forum for purposes of forum non conveniens rulings. See, e.g., Hernandez v. Naviera Mercante, C.A., 716 F. Supp. 939, 943 n. 5 (E.D. La. 1989) (Venezuelan courts constitute adequate alternative forum for purposes of forum non conveniens) (collecting cases); C.A. Seguros Orinoco v. Naviera Transpapel, C.A., 677 F. Supp. 675, 685 (D.P.R. 1988) (Venezuela "a competent alternative forum"); Villalobos v. Loffland Bros. Co., 507 F. Supp. 904, 907 (S.D.N.Y. 1981) (forum non conveniens dismissal in favor of litigation in Venezuela); Iberian Tankers Co. v. Terminales Maracaibo, C.A., 322 F. Supp. 73, 74-75 (S.D.N.Y. 1971) (same).
Further, as we recently stated in Borden, 919 F.2d at 829, " 'some inconvenience or the unavailability of beneficial litigation procedures similar to those available in the federal district courts does not render an alternative forum inadequate' " (quoting Shields v. Mi Ryung Constr. Co., 508 F. Supp. 891, 895 (S.D.N.Y. 1981)); see also Lockman Found. v. Evangelical Alliance Mission, 930 F.2d 764, 768 (9th Cir. 1991) (lack of trial by jury does not render Japan inadequate forum); Union Carbide, 809 F.2d at 198-99, 202-03 (India held adequate alternative forum despite procedural and substantive "disadvantages"); Alcoa, 654 F.2d at 159 (inadequacy of alternative forum not established by prospect of lesser recovery); cf. Transunion Corp. v. Pepsico, Inc., 811 F.2d 127, 129 (2d Cir. 1987) (political unrest not automatic bar to forum non conveniens dismissal). In addition, we have repeatedly emphasized that " ' [i]t is not the business of our courts to assume the responsibility for supervising the integrity of the judicial system of another sovereign nation.' " Chesley v. Union Carbide Corp., 927 F.2d 60, 66 (2d Cir. 1991) (quoting Jhirad v. Ferrandina, 536 F.2d 478, 484-85 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 833, 97 S. Ct. 97, 50 L. Ed. 2d 98 (1976)).
In the instant case, the Bankruptcy Court adjudicated BIV's proof of claim and Proyecfin's setoff claim following a full evidentiary hearing. While no appeal was taken from this determination, the liquidation order was appealed, and the Supreme Court of Venezuela remanded to an intermediate appellate court for further proceedings. See supra note 2. No convincing showing has been made of those "rare circumstances" that render the proposed alternative forum "clearly unsatisfactory." Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 254 n. 22, 102 S. Ct. at 265 n. 22.
330 U.S. at 508, 67 S. Ct. at 843. It is clear that these considerations point strongly toward Venezuela as a more convenient forum than the Southern District of New York in this case.
Further, the documentary evidence is in the Spanish language, as would be trial or deposition testimony, requiring translation to English that would result in significant cost to the parties and delay to the court. This factor militates strongly in favor of Venezuela as a more appropriate forum for this litigation. See Schertenleib v. Traum, 589 F.2d 1156, 1165 (2d Cir. 1978) (dismissing on forum non conveniens grounds because, inter alia, witnesses located in Switzerland and relevant documents written in French); Fitzgerald v. Texaco, Inc., 521 F.2d 448, 451-52 (2d Cir. 1975) (same, witnesses in United Kingdom), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 1052, 96 S. Ct. 781, 46 L. Ed. 2d 641 (1976).
Finally, a major component of this dispute is whether BIV wrongfully withheld progress payments on the Project. It follows that a view of the premises to determine the progress of the construction relative to BIV's payments is not only "appropriate," Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 508, 67 S. Ct. at 843, but essential. Accordingly, all the private interest factors enunciated in Gilbert support the propriety of the district court's dismissal on the basis of forum non conveniens.
As we have noted, Gilbert also commands inquiry into relevant public interest factors. Id. These considerations include "a local interest in having localized controversies decided at home," and the appropriateness of having a case heard in a forum "at home with the ... law that must govern the case." 330 U.S. at 509, 67 S. Ct. at 843; see also Overseas Nat'l Airways, Inc. v. Cargolux Airlines Int'l, S.A., 712 F.2d 11, 14 (2d Cir. 1983) ("The public interest factors include the remoteness of the forum from the situs of the event, and the forum court's need to rely upon foreign law."). These concerns point clearly to Venezuela as the preferable forum to resolve this litigation.
The Intervenors have advanced both derivative claims, in their capacity as shareholders of Proyecfin, and direct claims against BIV. It is unclear whether shareholder derivative actions may be maintained in Venezuela. See Hausman v. Buckley, 299 F.2d 696, 698 & n. 5 (2d Cir.) (stockholders not entitled to bring derivative action under law of Venezuela), cert. denied, 369 U.S. 885, 82 S. Ct. 1157, 8 L. Ed. 2d 286 (1962). Counsel for the Trustees contended at oral argument that the Intervenors may maintain their direct claims in the Supreme Court of Venezuela (by virtue of the Venezuelan government's ownership of BIV), and that they may advance their derivative claims by requesting that the Bankruptcy Court issue an order directing the Trustees to sue BIV in the Supreme Court of Venezuela, a proceeding in which the Intervenors might participate.
The district court was entitled to conclude that such questions of Venezuelan substantive and procedural law are better addressed by Venezuelan courts. Further, given the absence of any United States parties or interests in this litigation, considerations of comity weigh heavily in favor of noninterference with ongoing foreign judicial proceedings. See Hilton v. Guyot, 159 U.S. 113, 163-66, 16 S. Ct. 139, 143-44, 40 L. Ed. 95 (1895) (general discussion of comity); see also Chesley, 927 F.2d at 66-67 (declining to award attorney fees in the United States that would affect settlement fund established in India for litigation pending in that nation) (citing Hilton, 159 U.S. at 164, 16 S. Ct. at 143). Accordingly, we conclude that the Gilbert public factors support the lower court's dismissal on forum non conveniens grounds.
Further, forum non conveniens dismissals are often appropriately conditioned to protect the party opposing dismissal. See, e.g., Sussman v. Bank of Israel, 990 F.2d 71, 71 (2d Cir. 1993) (per curiam) (affirming district court's forum non conveniens dismissal conditioned upon defendants' partial waiver of limitations defense and undertaking from Israeli officials that plaintiff would not be detained if he went to Israel to initiate litigation in that alternative forum); R. Maganlal & Co., 942 F.2d at 167 (defendant agreed to dismissal conditioned upon submission to jurisdiction of foreign court); Borden, 919 F.2d at 829 (forum non conveniens dismissal conditioned upon foreign forum's acting upon plaintiff's request for injunction within specified time frame); Union Carbide, 809 F.2d at 203-04 (affirming district court's dismissal on condition that defendant consent to personal jurisdiction and waive statute of limitations defense in foreign forum) (collecting cases); Constructora Spilimerg, C.A. v. Mitsubishi Aircraft Co., 700 F.2d 225, 226 (5th Cir. 1983) (forum non conveniens dismissal in favor of Venezuelan court conditioned upon defendant's acceptance of service of process, waiver of objections to personal jurisdiction, and undertaking to effectuate Venezuelan judgment).
The majority answers negatively and quite correctly the question whether the "Caracas Provision" in the Supervisory Agreement (a provision construed as a venue provision only in Proyecfin I, 760 F.2d at 395-96, majority op. n. 1) trumps the "forum provision" in the Loan Agreement, which was incorporated in the Supervisory Agreement by reference. But the majority then re-names the forum provision, described appropriately as a "forum selection clause" in Proyecfin I, 760 F.2d at 397, a "consent-to-jurisdiction provision," maj. op. at 980. With this change in nomenclature, the majority then goes on to hold the clause permissive (in that it permits suit to be maintained in London, New York or Caracas) rather than mandatory, like the clause in M/S Bremen v. Zapata Off-Shore Co., 407 U.S. 1, 92 S. Ct. 1907, 32 L. Ed. 2d 513 (1972), and reasons from this that the clause may be set aside and New York declared an inconvenient forum. This to my mind is specious.
Instead, Bremen gave weight to the Commentators, to the American Law Institute (Restatement (Second) of the Conflict of Laws § 80 (1971)), to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and to the law of other common law countries. 407 U.S. at 11 and nn. 12-13, 92 S. Ct. at 1913 and nn. 12-13. See 15 Charles A. Wright, et al., Federal Practice and Procedure § 3803.1 (2d ed. 1986) for an exegesis of the strong trend since Bremen toward the enforcement of forum-selection clauses. See also Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws App. 263, et seq. (collecting decided cases pertaining to § 80). While Stewart Org., Inc. v. Ricoh Corp., 487 U.S. 22, 108 S. Ct. 2239, 101 L. Ed. 2d 22 (1988) has made it clear that in ruling on motions to transfer venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a), forum-selection clauses are not to be given either "dispositive consideration" or "no consideration," id. at 31, 108 S. Ct. at 2245, nothing in Stewart hints that because the parties have chosen to select alternate fora, the clause is to be given any the less effect than where one forum only is selected.
Having arrived at this specious premise (that an alternative forum-selection clause is "permissive" and therefore to have less weight than a mandatory or exclusive clause), the majority then goes on to give the clause here no weight at all and to analyze the case in good old-fashioned Gulf Oil Corp. v. Gilbert, 330 U.S. 501, 67 S. Ct. 839, 91 L. Ed. 1055 (1947), Koster v. Lumbermens Mut. Cas. Co., 330 U.S. 518, 67 S. Ct. 828, 91 L. Ed. 1067 (1947), and Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235, 102 S. Ct. 252, 70 L. Ed. 2d 419 (1981), forum non conveniens terms, adding that "the plaintiff's choice was overturned" in all three cases (maj. op. at 980-81). Of course, none of the three involved a forum-selection clause at all; the question each involved was simply whether the place where the plaintiff had sued was a more convenient place for trial than some other place. Since the cases did not involve forum-selection clauses at all, the list of "private interest factors" and "public interest factors" on which those cases relied, as set forth in Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 508-09, 67 S. Ct. at 843, and relied on in Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 241 & n. 6, 102 S. Ct. at 258 & n. 6, do not involve the real Bremen question before us: whether a forum-selection clause is plainly unreasonable, that is, whether "enforcement [of it] would be unreasonable and unjust" or whether the clause is "invalid for such reasons as fraud or overreaching," 407 U.S. at 15, 92 S. Ct. at 1916, or whether "trial in the contractual forum will be so gravely difficult and inconvenient that [the resisting party] will for all practical purposes be deprived of his day in court," 407 U.S. at 18, 92 S. Ct. at 1917. Thus, the majority does not look at the helpful list of nine factors to determine reasonableness set forth in then District Judge Bruce M. Selya's 1983 decision, D'Antuono v. CCH Computax Sys., Inc., 570 F. Supp. 708, 712 (D.R.I. 1983),4 relied on in 15 Charles A. Wright, et al., supra, § 3803.1 at 21-22. The list, with its "totality of the circumstances" caveat directs us toward a qualitative evaluation of the factual circumstances involved, id. at 22-23.
See Fitzgerald v. Texaco, Inc., 521 F.2d 448, 455-58 (2d Cir. 1975) (dissenting opinion), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 1052, 96 S. Ct. 781, 46 L. Ed. 2d 641 (1976). I there called for a reexamination of the entire doctrine "in the light of the transportation revolution" that had occurred between the Supreme Court's 1947 cases and 1975, 521 F.2d at 456. Today, I would add "in light of the communications/satellite/optics/data revolution that has also occurred since 1975."
This action against BIV was commenced in the Supreme Court of New York on July 3, 1984. See Proyecfin de Venezuela, S.A. v. Banco Industrial de Venezuela, S.A., 760 F.2d 390, 392 (2d Cir. 1985) ("Proyecfin I ")
Rather, the Court, answering affirmatively the question whether a forum selection clause could be upheld though excluding U.S. courts and law as convenient, spoke of "ancient concepts of freedom of contract," 407 U.S. at 11, 92 S. Ct. at 1913, "historical judicial resistance," id. at 12, 92 S. Ct. at 1914, and "when businesses once essentially local now operate in world markets," id. I take it that when the original contracting parties here chose New York (and the United States courts, as well as the New York state courts) as one convenient forum and the United States Dollar as the convenient mode of payment, they did so because the consortium of Middle East banks that originally underwrote the Venezuelan project wanted the political stability of the United States and of England, and the reliability of their respective courts to be available as alternative fora, to the relatively less stable nation and perhaps less reliable court system of Venezuela
F. Supp. at 712 (citations omitted)