Opinion ID: 1370556
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Heading Rank: 2

Heading: standard of review and principles governing dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction

Text: The sufficiency of the evidence to make a prima facie showing that the trial court may exercise personal jurisdiction is a question of law, which, on appeal, this Court reviews de novo. Wilson Tool & Die, Inc. v. TBDN-Tennessee Co., 237 S.W.3d 611, 615 (Mo.App.2007), quoting, Stavrides v. Zerjav, 848 S.W.2d 523, 527 (Mo.App.1993); see also State ex rel. Deere & Co. v. Pinnell, 454 S.W.2d 889, 893 (Mo. banc 1970). When personal jurisdiction is contested, it is the plaintiff who must shoulder the burden of establishing that defendant's contacts with the forum state were sufficient. Angoff v. Marion A. Allen, Inc., 39 S.W.3d 483, 486 (Mo. banc 2001). A reviewing court evaluates personal jurisdiction by considering the allegations contained in the pleadings to determine whether, if taken as true, they establish facts adequate to invoke Missouri's long-arm statute and support a finding of minimum contacts with Missouri sufficient to satisfy due process. Id. at 487; see also Moore v. Christian Fidelity Life Ins. Co., 687 S.W.2d 210, 211 (Mo. App.1984) ([T]he allegations of the petition are given an intendment most favorable to the existence of the jurisdictional fact). While a court will consider affidavits if proper ones are filed in connection with the motion to dismiss, Chromalloy Am. Corp. v. Elyria Foundry Co., 955 S.W.2d 1, 3 n. 3 (Mo. banc 1997), no affidavits were filed here.