Case Name: Jayne REID-WALEN, Gary Walen, Appellants, v. Leroy HANSEN, Irene Hansen, d/b/a Yellow Bird Sea-Tel, Appellees
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1991-05-15
Citations: 933 F.2d 1390
Docket Number: No. 89-3000
Parties: Jayne REID-WALEN, Gary Walen, Appellants, v. Leroy HANSEN, Irene Hansen, d/b/a Yellow Bird Sea-Tel, Appellees.
Judges: Before LAY, Chief Judge, HEANEY and TIMBERS, Senior Circuit Judges.
Reporter: Federal Reporter 2d Series
Volume: 933
Pages: 1390–1412

Head Matter:
Jayne REID-WALEN, Gary Walen, Appellants, v. Leroy HANSEN, Irene Hansen, d/b/a Yellow Bird Sea-Tel, Appellees.
No. 89-3000.
United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.
Submitted Oct. 9, 1990.
Decided May 15, 1991.
Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc Denied Aug. 13, 1991.
Robert T. Bergin, Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla., for appellants.
John H. Quinn, III, St. Louis, Mo., for appellees.
Before LAY, Chief Judge, HEANEY and TIMBERS, Senior Circuit Judges.
The HONORABLE WILLIAM H. TIMBERS, Senior Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, sitting by designation.

Opinion:
LAY, Chief Judge.
Jayne Reid-Walen, a citizen of Minnesota, seeks damages from Leroy and Irene Hansen, citizens of Missouri, for injuries she sustained while vacationing at the Yel-lowbird Sea-Tel ("Yellowbird"), a cluster of cottages in Negril Beach, Jamaica owned and run by the Hansens. According to the amended complaint, Reid-Walen was swimming near the beach area of the Yellowbird when she was struck by a motorboat driven by a Jamaican citizen, not associated with the Hansens, who was soliciting boat rides from guests of the Yellowbird. Reid-Walen bases her suit on Jamaican law, alleging that the Hansens violated their common law duty of care by failing to prevent motorboats from traveling through the area the Hansens had designated for swimming by their guests. She also alleges the Han-sens violated two Jamaican statutes, the Occupiers' Liability Act and the Beach Control Act, which allegedly required defendants to provide a lifeguard and to place buoys around an area for swimming.
The suit was originally filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The defendants moved for dismissal, arguing that venue was improper. The district court found venue in Florida was improper but that venue would have been proper in Missouri, the residence of the Hansens. Accordingly, the court transferred the case to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a) (1988). The defendants then filed a motion to dismiss in that court on the ground of forum non conveniens. The district court granted the defendants' motion, and this appeal followed. We reverse the judgment of the district court.
ANALYSIS
I. Introduction
A. The District Court's Decision
The district court observed that in ruling on a motion to dismiss based on forum non conveniens, it must "balance the preference accorded plaintiff's choice of forum with the burdens of litigating at an inconvenient venue." Reid-Walen v. Hansen, 715 F.Supp. 270, 271 (E.D.Mo.1989). The court then considered the private and public interest factors first enunciated by the Supreme Court in Gulf Oil Corp. v. Gilbert, 330 U.S. 501, 508-09, 67 S.Ct. 839, 843, 91 L.Ed. 1055 (1947). These factors are applied in all forum non conveniens cases. See, e.g. Mizokami Bros. of Arizona v. Mobay Chem. Corp., 660 F.2d 712, 717-18 (8th Cir.1981).
The district court concluded that all relevant events, except Reid-Walen's hospitalization in Florida, occurred in Jamaica, and that all of the occurrence witnesses resided in Jamaica, making their attendance in Missouri prohibitively expensive. 715 F.Supp. at 271. The court also found that the substantive law of Jamaica would govern the dispute. Further, the court concluded it would be a burden to impose jury duty on a Missouri community with no significant relationship to the litigation. Although recognizing that Reid-Walen's United States citizenship and the fact that the defendants resided in Missouri five months of the year militated against dismissing the suit, the court found these factors not "particularly weighty" because other "numerous factors" pointed to Jamaica as the most convenient forum. Id. at 272. Subject to the defendants' consent to submit to the jurisdiction of the Jamaican courts, the district court dismissed the suit.
B. Standard of Review
The defendant has the burden of persuasion in proving all elements necessary for the court to dismiss a claim based on forum non conveniens. Lacey v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 862 F.2d 38, 43-44 (3d Cir. 1988); In re Air Crash Disaster Near New Orleans, La., 821 F.2d 1147, 1164 (5th Cir. 1987) (en banc), partially vacated on other grounds, 490 U.S. 1032, 109 S.Ct. 1928, 104 L.Ed.2d 400 (1989). Trial courts have broad discretion in deciding a motion to dismiss based on forum non conveniens, and when the district court "has considered all relevant public and private interest factors, and where its balancing of these factors is reasonable, its decision deserves substantial deference." Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235, 257, 102 S.Ct. 252, 266, 70 L.Ed.2d 419 (1981). A trial court's decision to dismiss on the ground of forum non conveniens will be overturned only for abuse of discretion. Mobay Chem. Corp., 660 F.2d at 718. An abuse of discretion may occur when the district court fails to consider one or more of the important private or public interest factors, does not hold the defendants to their burden of persuasion on all elements of the forum non conveniens analysis, or has clearly erred in weighing the factors the court must consider. Lacey, 862 F.2d at 43. Finally, "[ejmphasis on the district court's discretion . must not overshadow the central principle of the Gilbert doctrine that 'unless the balance is strongly in favor of the defendant, the plaintiff's choice of forum should rarely be disturbed.' " Lehman v. Humphrey Cayman, Ltd., 713 F.2d 339, 342 (8th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1042, 104 S.Ct. 708, 79 L.Ed.2d 172 (1984) (citations omitted).
We believe the district court failed to give proper deference to the plaintiff's choice of forum and failed to give proper weight to the fact that both the plaintiff and the defendants were United States citizens. In addition, the district court did not properly address other key factors and erred in weighing several other private and public interest factors.
We turn to an analysis of the district court's decision, in light of the Gilbert factors.
II. Private Interest Factors
A. Residence of the Parties and Deference to Plaintiffs Forum Choice
At the outset, it is important to note that in forum non conveniens cases involving a potential reference to a foreign court, the relevant distinction is whether or not the plaintiff who has selected the federal forum is a United States citizen, not whether the plaintiff resides in the particular district where the case was brought. Interpane Coatings v. Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., 732 F.Supp. 909, 915 (N.D.Ill.1990). In other words, the "home" forum for the plaintiff is any federal district in the United States, not the particular district where the plaintiff lives.
The Supreme Court has emphasized that trial courts must give deference to a plaintiff's forum choice. In Gilbert, the Court stated that "unless the balance is strongly in favor of the defendant, the plaintiffs choice of forum should rarely be disturbed." 330 U.S. at 508, 67 S.Ct. at 843. Although such choice is not to be given dispositive weight, jurisdiction should be declined only in "exceptional circumstances." Id. at 504, 67 S.Ct. at 841; see also Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 255, 102 S.Ct. at 265. It also generally is acknowledged that citizens should rarely be denied access to courts of the United States. In Koster v. Lumbermens Mut. Casualty Co., 330 U.S. 518, 67 S.Ct. 828, 91 L.Ed. 1067 (1947), the Court found that an American plaintiff could not be deprived of his or her home forum except when oppressive and vexatious to the defendant "out of all proportion to plaintiffs convenience." Id. at 524, 67 S.Ct. at 832; see also Gates Learjet Corp. v. Jensen, 743 F.2d 1325, 1334-35 (9th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 471 U.S. 1066, 105 S.Ct. 2143, 85 L.Ed.2d 500 (1985); Mizokami Bros. of Arizona, Inc. v. Baychem Corp., 556 F.2d 975, 977 (9th Cir.1977) (per curiam), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 1035, 98 S.Ct. 770, 54 L.Ed.2d 783 (1978).
Judicial concern for allowing citizens of the United States access to American courts has been tempered by the expansion and realities of international commerce. When an American corporation doing extensive foreign business brings an action for injury occurring in a foreign country, many courts have partially discounted the plaintiffs United States citizenship. As the Ninth Circuit recently reiterated:
In an era of increasing international commerce, parties who choose to engage in international transactions should know that when their foreign operations lead to litigation they cannot expect always to bring their foreign opponents into a United States forum when every reasonable consideration leads to the conclusion that the site of the litigation should be elsewhere.
Contact Lumber Co. v. P.T. Moges Shipping Co., Ltd., 918 F.2d 1446, 1450 (9th Cir.1990) (quoting Baychem Corp., 556 F.2d at 978); see also Lehman, 713 F.2d at 346 (quoting Founding Church of Scientology v. Verlag, 536 F.2d 429, 435 (D.C. Cir.1976)). In this case, the plaintiff, Jayne Reid-Walen, was not engaging in business abroad. Instead, she was enjoying "a personal vacation of a few days' duration in a vacation spot" located near the United States and owned by the Han-sens. Lehman, 713 F.2d at 347.
A significant factor in this case is that the defendants are U.S. citizens and the action was transferred to their home district, the Eastern District of Missouri. In this unusual situation, where the forum resident seeks dismissal, this fact should weigh strongly against dismissal. See Manu Int'l, S.A. v. Avon Products, Inc., 641 F.2d 62, 67 (2d Cir. 1981) (finding that district judge abused discretion in dismissing case in which defendant's home office was located in forum); Verlag, 536 F.2d at 435 (finding of "great significance" that both plaintiff and defendant are residents of the U.S.); see also Stewart, Forum Non Conveniens: A Doctrine in Search of a Role, 74 Cal.L.Rev. 1259, 1282-86 (1986) (arguing that fact of defendant's residence in forum almost always will outweigh any argued inconvenience, especially when the defendant is an individual and not a corporation with multiple residences). Keeping in mind that the central purpose of the forum non conveniens doctrine "is to ensure that the trial is convenient," Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 256, 102 S.Ct. at 266, it will be the rare case indeed when a case filed in the federal district where the defendant resides and in the home forum of the plaintiff is dismissed on the ground of forum non conveniens.
In granting the defendants' motion to dismiss, the district court noted that the plaintiffs American citizenship and defendants' residence in Missouri were "not particularly weighty, in light of the numerous factors which point to Jamaica as the most convenient forum for the resolution of this dispute." 715 F.Supp. at 272. This approach appears to shift the burden to the plaintiffs to convince the court that their forum choice is more convenient than the alternative forum. At least when the plaintiff is a U.S. citizen with a real interest in the controversy, the plaintiff's forum choice always should be accorded substantial deference at the outset. Lacey v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 862 F.2d 38, 45 (3d Cir. 1988). Only then should the district court analyze the Gilbert factors, keeping in mind that the defendant bears the burden of proof on each factor and must overcome the heavy presumption against disturbing the plaintiff's forum choice.
The district court's opinion accords little weight to the plaintiff's forum choice and the fact that both plaintiff and the defendants were American citizens. In this respect we find the district court's decision departs from this court's analysis in Lehman v. Humphrey Cayman, Ltd,., 713 F.2d 339 (8th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1042, 104 S.Ct. 708, 79 L.Ed.2d 172 (1984).
We turn now to the other key private and public interest factors.
B. Location of Key Witnesses
The district court adopted the defendants' assertion, made in their motion to dismiss, that "[a]ll of the occurrence witnesses except plaintiffs reside in Jamaica and it would be prohibitively expensive to obtain their attendance in Missouri." 715 F.Supp. at 271. This analysis overlooks the obvious importance of the defendants as key witnesses. Although the Hansens spend part of the year in Jamaica, their home is in Missouri and they reside there for five to six months of the year. (App. 13). In addition, the district court must examine the materiality and importance of the anticipated witnesses' testimony and then determine their accessibility and convenience to the forum. Gates Learjet Corp. v. Jensen, 743 F.2d 1325, 1335-36 (9th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 471 U.S. 1066, 105 S.Ct. 2143, 85 L.Ed.2d 500 (1985). The burden is on the defendant to provide these facts by way of affidavit or other information. See Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, 454 U.S. at 258, 102 S.Ct. at 267 (1981); Lacey, 862 F.2d at 44-45; In re Air Crash Disaster Near New Orleans, 821 F.2d at 1164-65 & n. 28. The Hansens have not submitted any information or affidavits to support their conclusory allegations. The record does not indicate whether the driver of the boat that hit Reid-Walen has ever been identified. Cf. Carter v. Trafalgar Tours, Ltd., 704 F.Supp. 673, 680 (W.D.Va. 1989) (record does not establish whereabouts of drivers of two vehicles involved in Austrian tourbus accident, demonstrating that record does not show that substantially more evidence is located in foreign forum). The record also does not reveal if Jamaican authorities ever investigated this accident, whether a report was made, or whether their testimony would be needed.
Reid-Walen points out that many of the occurrence witnesses who likely will be called are other guests who also were staying at the Yellowbird. She asserts, and the Hansens do not deny, that nearly all of the Hansens' guests come from the United States and Canada. Further, likely witnesses will include medical personnel from Florida and Minnesota who treated Reid-Walen. In addition, experts needed to testify about damages, such as the future costs Reid-Walen will incur as a result of the injury, will have to come from the United States. See Rudetsky v. O'Dowd, 660 F.Supp. 341, 347 (E.D.N.Y.1987) (Weinstein, C.J.). Finally, as a number of courts have discussed, the time and expense of obtaining the presence or testimony of foreign witnesses is greatly reduced by commonplace modes of communication and travel. Lehman, 713 F.2d at 343; Manu Int'l, 641 F.2d at 65. Any foreign witness testimony may be taken, if possible, by deposition or other means. Lehman, 713 F.2d at 343; see Fed.R.Civ.P. 28(b) and 29.
In sum, although the record is largely devoid of hard factual evidence, we can surmise that if this case proceeds to trial there are individuals from both the United States and Jamaica who likely will be called as witnesses. In whichever forum the case is tried, witnesses will have to travel or testify by deposition. If the suit is brought in the U.S., the parties will not have compulsory process over any Jamaican witnesses. By the same token, if the suit is brought in Jamaica, the parties will lack compulsory process over American witnesses. See Verlag, 536 F.2d at 436 (noting that the "risk that foreign evidence cannot be obtained is no greater in federal court in the District of Columbia" than in Germany because the parties will need witnesses from both countries). The defendants have not provided the court with any idea of what Jamaican witnesses it may wish to call. The Hansens have not established that there are clearly more key witnesses available in Jamaica, or that there would be a significantly greater problem in getting the testimony of the Jamaican witnesses if the case is tried in the United States than in getting the testimony of occurrence and medical personnel witnesses located in the United States if the case were tried in Jamaica. See Lacey, 862 F.2d at 47. As the Lacey court stated:
[T]he defendants' failure to provide any record support for their contentions precluded the district court from scrutinizing the substance of the dispute between the parties and from determining whether evidence and arguments relied upon by the parties are critical or even relevant to the plaintiff's eause of action or the defendants' potential defenses.
Lacey, 862 F.2d at 45.
C. Access to Evidence and View of the Premises
The district court also found that Jamaica provided ease of access to sources of proof and offered the only possible view of the premises. Neither the Hansens nor the district court have specified what sources of proof are available only in Jamaica. See Gates Learjet Corp., 743 F.2d at 1336 & n. 5 (giving little deference to district court's consideration of this factor when court failed to identify what evidence was unavailable in the U.S.)- Presumably, any records of safety precautions the Han-sens did or did not undertake could be transported to Missouri. Neither the Han-sens nor the district court indicated why a view of the premises would be necessary. See Grimandi v. Beech Aircraft Corp., 512 F.Supp. 764, 779 (D.Kan.1981) (defendants did not establish that view of the premises was necessary and it was not apparent why it would be necessary). To the extent the parties wish to establish the physical layout of the cottages and the beach area where the accident occurred, they could do so accurately through aerial photographs and other demonstrative evidence or testimony. Id.
D.The Defendants' Ability to Implead
Although not a specific Gilbert factor, the ability of defendants to bring a third-party action against other alleged wrong-doers can be considered a private interest factor within the enumerated consideration of making a trial "easy, expeditious and inexpensive." Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 508, 67 S.Ct. at 843; see Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 259, 102 S.Ct. at 267 (holding that inability to implead third-party defendants in federal court supported having trial in Scotland). The district court did not discuss this consideration, but the Hansens here assert that the inability to implead the driver of the boat who injured Reid-Walen in the Missouri forum supports dismissal.
In general, the efficiency and convenience of trying all actions arising from the same incident at one time and at one place often may be a factor pointing toward the foreign forum where the incident occurred and the third party is located. The courts that have considered this factor, however, have required a showing of actual convenience to the parties, not mere hypothetical discussion about the efficiency of third-party practice. See id.; Lehman, 713 F.2d at 343-44; Olympic Corp. v. Societe Generale, 462 F.2d 376, 379 (2d Cir.1972). In Piper Aircraft, the Court found that join-der of potential third-party defendants was "crucial to the presentation of [the defendants'] defense" because the defendants were arguing that all blame for the accident rested with the third parties, not with themselves. 454 U.S. at 259, 102 S.Ct. at 267. In contrast, the Lehman and Olympic Corp. courts found that the potential third-party claims were very different from the plaintiffs' claims and that it was not likely separate trials of the claims would require much duplication of proof or risk inconsistent judgments. Lehman, 713 F.2d at 343; Olympic Corp., 462 F.2d at 379.
In this case, neither party disputes that the motorboat driver was the direct cause of the injuries to Reid-Walen. The plaintiff's allegations all go to the duty to provide a safe environment for swimming, which is an independent question from whether the boat driver was at fault for striking Reid-Walen. The Hansens have not alleged their defense would be greatly impaired without the ability to implead the boat driver. Although perhaps more inconvenient, the Hansens can pursue a separate indemnification action against the boat driver in the courts of Jamaica, if they know the driver's identity. See Lehman, 713 F.2d at 344.
E. Plaintiffs Ability to Litigate in a Foreign Forum
As part of the Gilbert private interest analysis, courts must be sensitive to the practical problems likely to be encountered by plaintiffs in litigating their claim, especially when the alternative forum is in a foreign country. Wilson v. Humphreys (Cayman) Ltd., 916 F.2d 1239, 1246-47 (7th Cir.1990); Lehman, 713 F.2d at 345; Manu Int'l, 641 F.2d at 67; Rudetsky, 660 F.Supp. at 346. The district court "must be alert to the realities of the plaintiff's position, financial and otherwise, and his or her ability as a practical matter to bring suit in the alternative forum." Lehman, 713 F.2d at 346. The district court failed to even consider this factor.
The legal systems of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands — the alternative forum in Lehman — are very similar. See Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia: The Legal Systems of the Commonwealth Caribbean ¶ 7.80.7 § 1.1 (1988) (K. Redden, ed.) (Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are part of the Commonwealth Caribbean, whose similar legal systems derive from those of Great Britain). Like the plaintiff in Lehman, Reid-Walen likely will be unable to get a jury trial in Jamaica. See id. at 117.80.44-45 § 1.3(F) (unless statute expressly preserves right to jury trial, there is no right to a jury trial in civil cases in Jamaica). The absence of a contingent fee system for attorneys in Jamaica also should be taken into account when considering the practical problems for the plaintiff. Rudetsky, 660 F.Supp. at 346. Reid-Walen contends she would not be able to afford an attorney in Jamaica. Her inability to retain counsel in the alternative forum is an important factor .counseling against dismissal. Id. at 347; see also Lehman, 713 F.2d at 345-46. In fact, Reid-Walen's counsel at oral argument stipulated that trying the case in Jamaica was so infeasible, both practically and financially, that Reid-Walen would not pursue the matter if unable to litigate in her chosen forum in the United States. In this case, the "alternative forum" is really not much of a forum at all. See Manu Int'l, 641 F.2d at 67.
F. Expectations of the Parties
Although not a part of the formal Gilbert private interest analysis, the district court considered the parties' expectations about where they anticipated a suit such as this would be tried. The court found particularly persuasive the Han-sens's claim that they had purchased liability insurance for their business that provides coverage and pays fees and expenses only if they are sued in the courts of Jamaica. The Hansens contend this evidences their expectation that they would be sued only in Jamaica for accidents arising out of their business in Jamaica.
Reid-Walen contends insurance coverage is not a factor to be taken into consideration in the Gilbert calculus. We agree with Reid-Walen that the terms and extent of insurance coverage should not be a formal or significant factor district courts need to consider. The expectations of the parties, however, are relevant. In this case, the Hansens' insurance coverage is a relevant indicator of expectations that the district court was correct to consider.
Unlike many other cases, the defendants are not part of a multinational business with sophisticated operations in both the United States and abroad. Cf. Wilson v. Humphreys (Cayman) Ltd., 916 F.2d 1239, 1241 (7th Cir.1990) (one defendant (Holiday Inns) was a multinational corporation, and the other foreign defendant was a licensee of Holiday Inns and advertised extensively in the U.S.); Alcoa S.S. Co. v. M/V Nordic Regent, 654 F.2d 147, 159 (2d Cir.1981) (en banc) (plaintiff was U.S. corporation maintaining permanent place of business in Trinidad). The lack of insurance coverage for suits filed in the United States demonstrates difficulties the Hansens face in defending a suit here. See Lehman, 713 F.2d at 347 ("even though considerations of fairness are more properly part of the jurisdictional analysis than of a forum non conve-niens determination" some fairness factors "indicate the relative conveniences of the parties and their respective abilities to bring or defend against a lawsuit").
The Hansens' position is weakened by the fact that they reside and solicit business in the United States. Of course, the Hansens do not engage in the kind of sophisticated advertising and solicitation of travelers engaged in by large corporations. The Hansens, however, do belong to a travel booking agency in Florida that solicits and books reservations for its members. In addition, the Hansens accept reservations at their home in Missouri. Further, many of the guests of the Yellowbird come from the United States. It should not be a total surprise to the Hansens that they may be sued in the courts of the U.S. The Hansens likely could have purchased insurance without the restriction limiting coverage to suits brought in Jamaica.
In sum, we find the expectation of the defendants that they would only have to defend suit in Jamaica, evidenced by their restricted insurance coverage, as a factor weighing toward dismissal on the ground of forum non conveniens. Like all private interest factors, however, it is not disposi-tive.
We turn now to the Gilbert public interest factors.
III. Public Interest Factors
A. Interest of the Forum in the Dispute
The district court summarily concluded that it would be a burden to impose jury duty on the Missouri community because it has no significant relationship to the litigation. We must respectfully disagree. The State of Missouri, by virtue of the fact it is the defendants' home, has a significant interest in the litigation.
The defendant's home forum always has a strong interest in providing a forum for redress of injuries caused by its citizens. Stewart, Forum Non Conveniens: A Doctrine in Search of a Role, 74 Cal.L.Rev. 1259, 1283 (1986). Any economic burden to the forum is justified because the defendant has undertaken both the benefits and burdens of citizenship and of the forum's laws. Id. at 1282, 1284. In this case, any burden to the community is tempered by the reality that the case is not complicated and likely will not result in a lengthy trial. See Schexnider v. McDermott Int'l, Inc., 817 F.2d 1159, 1163 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 977, 108 S.Ct. 488, 98 L.Ed.2d 486 (1987). In addition, when the only proper United States venue lies in this one district, the United States itself has an interest in the dispute and in seeing the plaintiff has a forum in this country. See Lehman, 713 F.2d at 344.
The district court did not find that Jamaica has a greater interest in this litigation, and it is clear that it does not. The incident at issue was a simple, albeit tragic, boating accident that was not a newsworthy event or of broad public interest in Jamaica. See Grimandi, 512 F.Supp. at 780 (noting that case is simple tort suit not affecting the broad public interest). Neither party to this litigation is a Jamaican citizen. "[I]n light of the unique relationship between the forum and the citizen-defendant, the assertion of jurisdiction cannot be said to deprive another forum with greater interest of the opportunity to re solve the dispute." Stewart, 74 Cal.L.Rev. at 1283. We conclude that Missouri has a stronger interest in this litigation than does Jamaica.
B. Application of Substantive Law
Applying Missouri's choice of law rules, the district court concluded Jamaican substantive law applied to this dispute, which neither party disputes. In fact, Reid-Walen specifically bases her claim that the Hansens breached their duty of care on several Jamaican statutes. The district court did not conclude it would have particular difficulty applying Jamaican law. Jamaica's substantive law is descended from that of Great Britain, and contains concepts that are at least somewhat akin to our own. In addition, there is no language barrier to the district court understanding Jamaican law. See Rudetsky, 660 F.Supp. at 348 (holding that court should be less reluctant than usual to apply foreign law when there is no language barrier).
Although the district court concluded that Jamaican law applies to this suit, it is well settled that the fact a federal court may have to apply foreign law is not dis-positive on the forum non conveniens inquiry, and does not outweigh more significant private interest concerns. See Lehman, 713 F.2d at 345; Manu Int'l, 641 F.2d at 67-68; Verlag, 536 F.2d at 436.
IV. Summary
We conclude that the district court erred in granting a dismissal based on forum non conveniens. Proper deference to the plaintiff's forum choice, where the defendants reside, coupled with the proper weighing of the Gilbert factors, requires reversal. Of particular significance is that the district court failed to consider the plaintiff's practical ability to litigate in the foreign forum. We also find the district court did not require the defendants to produce adequate factual proof necessary to carry their burden of persuasion on some of the private and public interest factors. Although some of the factors favor Jamaica as the forum, the overwhelming weight of the factors point toward Missouri as the most convenient forum.
The "ultimate inquiry" in a forum non conveniens analysis is where the place of trial will "best serve the convenience of the parties and the ends of justice." Roster v. Lumbermens Mut. Casualty Co., 330 U.S. 518, 527, 67 S.Ct. 828, 833, 91 L.Ed. 1067 (1947). Dismissing this action would leave Reid-Walen with no practical and realistic alternative forum, while trial in Missouri would impose little inconvenience to the defendants. Such a result would hardly serve the ends of justice.
CONCLUSION
The judgment of the district court dismissing this action is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings.
. Although not in the written record on appeal, Reid-Walen's counsel stated at oral argument in this case that the plaintiff and her husband had stayed at the Yellowbird previously, and called directly to Jamaica to make reservations for this visit. On previous occasions, Reid-Walen apparently had called the Hansens in Missouri to make reservations.
. The doctrine of forum non conveniens presupposes that an adequate alternative forum is available to hear the case. This is a two-part inquiry: availability and adequacy. In re Air Crash Disaster Near New Orleans, La., 821 F.2d 1147, 1165 (5th Cir.1987) (en banc), partially vacated on other grounds, 490 U.S. 1032, 109 S.Ct. 1928, 104 L.Ed.2d 400 (1989). An alternative forum is available if all parties are amenable to process and come within the jurisdiction of the forum. Id.; 15 Wright, Miller & Cooper, Federal Practice and Procedure § 3828 (2d ed. 1986). An alternative forum is adequate when the parties will not be deprived of all remedies or treated unfairly. Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235, 255, 102 S.Ct. 252, 265, 70 L.Ed.2d 419 (1981). As the district court did in this case, courts must always make a finding that these conditions are met before dismissing an action based on forum non conveniens.
. The Supreme Court has held that a defendant moving for dismissal based on forum non con-veniens "must provide enough information to enable the District Court to balance the parties' interests," although it need not submit overly detailed affidavits to carry its burden. Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235, 258, 102 S.Ct. 252, 267, 70 L.Ed.2d 419 (1981).
. One of the primary contentions raised by the dissent is that we do not adequately defer to the trial judge's decision in this case. Simply because an appellate court finds that a trial judge erred in granting a motion to dismiss on the grounds of forum non conveniens does not mean that this court has substituted its judgment for that of the district court. In all due respect to the dissent, this is an old cliche, hardly deserving of exhaustive analysis. Of course, we reverse the district court with great reluctance, but when the district court has not applied the correct legal principles to the issue, we are left with no other proper alternative. We agree with the Second Circuit that
Although the Supreme Court has emphasized the broad discretion of the district courts in deciding whether to dismiss on the basis of forum non conveniens, there would be little purpose in Congress giving this Court a power of review if it were not a meaningful one. A meaningful power of review is the right to determine whether the district court reached an erroneous conclusion on either the facts or the law.
Irish Nat. Ins. Co., Ltd. v. Aer Lingus Teoranta, 739 F.2d 90, 92 (2d Cir.1984) (citations omitted).
. A plaintiff, however, is not free to select a particular federal district in order to harass or vex the defendant or to select a forum "at a most inconvenient place for an adversary, even at some inconvenience to himself." Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 507, 67 S.Ct. at 842. Of course, if the plaintiff selects a federal district that is itself truly inconvenient for the defendant, the defendant can request a transfer to another federal district under 28 U.S.C. § 1404. There is no contention made here that the plaintiff is seeking to harass or vex the defendant by litigating this suit in the Eastern District of Missouri.
. Numerous cases since Gilbert have held that foreign plaintiffs deserve less deference in their choice of forum than do citizens or residents of the United States. See, e.g., Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 255-56, 102 S.Ct. at 265-66; Wilson v. Humphreys (Cayman) Limited, 916 F.2d 1239, 1246 (7th Cir. 1990).
. As stated in Lehman:
[C]ourts should require positive evidence of unusually extreme circumstances, and should be thoroughly convinced that material injustice is manifest before exercising any such discretion to deny a citizen access to the courts of this country.
713 F.2d at 342 (quoting Founding Church of Scientology v. Verlag, 536 F.2d 429, 435 (D.C.Cir. 1976)).
.A corporate plaintiff's citizenship or residence may not correlate with its real convenience because of the nature of the corporate entity, while an individual's residence more often will correlate with his or her convenience. See Rudetsky v. O'Dowd, 660 F.Supp. 341, 346 (E.D.N. Y.1987) (Weinstein, C.J.).
. The district court did not discuss this court's analysis in Lehman. In Lehman, the plaintiff was a citizen of Iowa and was suing Holiday Inns corporation and its foreign franchisee in the federal district in Iowa for damages arising from her husband's death while staying at the hotel during a vacation in the Cayman Islands. Lehman, 713 F.2d at 340. We held that the district court abused its discretion in dismissing the action on the ground of forum non conve-niens. Id. at 347.
The dissent tries to diminish the similarities between Lehman and this case by noting that the plaintiffs in Lehman had a breach of warranty claim under Iowa law in addition to the tort claim governed by the law of the Cayman Islands. The dissent intimates that the logic in Lehman rests on the fact of this state law claim being included. A fair reading of Lehman refutes that notion. In addition, the Seventh Circuit recently relied on Lehman in retaining a suit based on an accident occurring outside the United States when the plaintiff's claim was exclusively governed by foreign law. Wilson v. Humphreys (Cayman) Ltd., 916 F.2d 1239 (7th Cir. 1990); see also Bruemmer v. Marriott Corp., 1991 WL 30141 (N.D.Ill.1991) (relying on Lehman and specifically noting that the Wilson court followed the Lehman court's reasoning despite absence of state law claim).
. The dissent correctly states that defendants need not submit overly detailed affidavits to carry their burden of persuasion. Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 258, 102 S.Ct. at 267. The dissent, however, glosses over the fact that the Hansens submitted no affidavits or information other than the few conclusory points in their motion to dismiss. In Piper Aircraft, however, the defendants submitted affidavits describing the evidentiary problems they would face if trial were held in the U.S. Id. at 259, 102 S.Ct. at 267. They also stated they would call as witnesses the persons responsible for training and licensing the pilot, the persons responsible for maintaining the aircraft, and two or three of its own employees involved in the design and manufacture of the aircraft. Id. n. 27. The Court merely held that specific names of the witnesses and the substance of their testimony need not have been submitted for the defendants to carry their burden of proof. The Court did not hold that no submission of information need be given.
. The dissent misinterprets the thrust of our argument on this point. We, of course, do not say that every American plaintiff should be able to litigate in the courts of the United States when U.S. courts offer the more attractive forum. Because the doctrine of forum non conve-niens is to be an instrument of justice, however, courts must be sensitive to the realities of the plaintiffs position. An individual like Reid-Walen who was severely injured while on vacation is in a very different practical and economic position from a large multinational corporation engaging in worldwide business. Like all the factors, the plaintiff's ability to litigate in a foreign forum is simply one consideration.
. In Lehman, we made clear that the procedural hurdles facing a plaintiff are distinct from the substantive law of the foreign forum. Lehman, 713 F.2d at 346. The Supreme Court has determined that a plaintiff's showing of less favorable substantive law in the alternative forum can be given some weight, but is not to be given conclusive or even substantial weight in the forum non conveniens analysis. Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 247, 102 S.Ct. at 261. When, however, a foreign jurisdiction "has imposed such severe monetary limitations on recovery as to eliminate the likelihood that the case will [ever] be tried," Irish Nat. Ins. Co., Ltd. v. Aer Lingus Teoranta, 739 F.2d 90, 91 (2d Cir.1984), a court may justifiably take into account the realities of the foreign legal system. Although Reid-Walen is concerned about the amount a judge in Jamaica might be willing to award on her claim, she has not shown Jamaican substantive law imposes insurmountable barriers to an adequate recovery that make the alternative forum completely "unavailable." See supra note 2. As we conclude, however, Reid-Walen has demonstrated that procedural and practical barriers significantly impede her ability to litigate her claim in the Jamaican courts.
. At least one court, however, has briefly discussed insurance as a relevant consideration. In Alcoa S.S. Co. v. M/VNordic Regent, 654 F.2d 147 (2d Cir.1981) (en banc), the plaintiff was complaining of damage to its pier in Trinidad, where it maintained a permanent business. Id. at 159. The court noted that the plaintiff "could have insured its additional risk in a prudent fashion. There is no reason to suppose that it has not done so." Id. The insurance at issue was that of the plaintiff, who was attempting to litigate its claim in the courts of the United States for damage to a stationary pier located in Trinidad, where it kept a permanent place of business. In contrast to the situation in Alcoa, Reid-Walen is a private individual who was enjoying a short vacation in Jamaica.
. Accordingly, that ruling is not before the court on this appeal.
. As this court said in Lehman, "Federal courts are quite capable of applying foreign law when required to do so.... '[W]e must guard against an excessive reluctance to undertake the task of deciding foreign law, a chore federal courts must often perform.' " Lehman, 713 F.2d at 345 (quoting Manu Int'l, 641 F.2d at 67-68).