Opinion ID: 548469
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Inconvenience of the Federal Forum

Text: 22 This was another of the factors the district court deemed unhelpful. Madonna now argues that this factor supports the district court's grant of a stay. As an appellee, he may assert in a reviewing court any ground in support of his judgment, whether or not that ground was relied upon or even considered by the trial court. Dandridge v. Williams, 397 U.S. 471, 475 n. 6, 90 S.Ct. 1153, 1156-57 n. 6, 25 L.Ed.2d 491 (1970); see also United States v. Honigman, 633 F.2d 1336, 1338 (9th Cir.1980). This court can affirm on any ground that, as a matter of law, sustains the judgment.... Dessar v. Bank of Am. Nat'l Trust & Sav. Ass'n, 353 F.2d 468, 470 (9th Cir.1965). 23 Madonna argues that the federal forum is inconvenient because the federal court is in Los Angeles while he, his businesses, and his books, records and documents are located in San Luis Obispo, where the state court proceedings are being conducted. He compares the approximately 200-mile-distance between San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles to the 300-mile-distance between the state and federal courts that was held significant in Colorado River, 424 U.S. at 820, 96 S.Ct. at 1247. He further points out that no party is a resident of Los Angeles County. 24 Travelers responds that because Madonna and his businesses are located within the Central District of California, the United States Courthouse in Los Angeles is presumptively 'convenient.'  Travelers maintains that any inconvenience for Madonna is counterbalanced by inconvenience to it because there are direct airline connections from the East Coast to Los Angeles but not to San Luis Obispo. Travelers points to the Fifth Circuit's holding that [t]he question in the end is not whether the party opposing the stay can demonstrate that the federal forum is a 'better' or 'more convenient' forum. Rather, it is whether the inconvenience of the federal forum is so great that this factor points toward abstention. Evanston Ins. Co. v. Jimco, Inc., 844 F.2d 1185, 1192 (5th Cir.1988). 25 Although 200 miles is a fair distance, it is not sufficiently great that this factor points toward abstention. The district court did not err in finding this factor unhelpful. 26