Opinion ID: 627440
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Washington's Jurisdictional Statute

Text: 8 The district court dismissed concerns with Washington law by stating that Washington's long-arm statute, Wash.Rev.Code Sec. 4.28.185, is coextensive with constitutional standards. See Shute, 897 F.2d at 380. Section 4.28.185, however, deals only with specific jurisdiction. General jurisdiction is authorized by Sec. 4.28.080(10), which provides for service of summons on a foreign corporation doing business in Washington. Washington courts have interpreted this section as conferring general jurisdiction over nonresident defendants who conduct substantial and continuous business in the state of such a character as to give rise to a legal obligation. Crose v. Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft, 88 Wash.2d 50, 558 P.2d 764, 766-67 (1977) (en banc); see Hein v. Taco Bell, Inc., 60 Wash.App. 325, 803 P.2d 329, 331 (1991). Although the Washington Supreme Court has never explicitly so stated, courts of appeal have consistently held that the doing business and due process inquiries are the same. See MBM Fisheries, Inc. v. Bollinger Mach. Shop & Shipyard, Inc., 60 Wash.App. 414, 804 P.2d 627, 630-31 (1991); Hein, 803 P.2d at 332. Thus  'the statutory and constitutional standards merge into a single due process test,'  Shute, 897 F.2d at 380 (quoting Pedersen Fisheries, Inc. v. Patti Indus., 563 F.Supp. 72, 74 (W.D.Wash.1983)), and we turn to the question of whether general jurisdiction over Leonis comports with due process requirements.