Opinion ID: 2555237
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Public-Interest Factors

Text: Defendants contend that South Africa has the greater interest in this case primarily for two reasons: (1) South Africa has a vital stake in ensuring that individuals who drive on its roadways observe the appropriate standard of due care; and (2) South Africa has an interest in ensuring that its local municipalities protect motorists by adequately designing and maintaining roadways. Concerning the first point, the parties to this caseall of whom live in the United Stateswere transient visitors to South Africa. Assuming that Edmonds in fact was negligent in obeying the rules of the road in South Africa, it would seem to make little difference if he were found liable in New Jersey as opposed to South Africa. No one suggests that the standard of due care is different in either jurisdiction. The obligation to drive safely in South Africa can be vindicated in New Jersey. With regard to the second point, the present litigationeven if the local municipality were impleadedwould seem to have little effect on the future design of the intersection where the accident occurred. That intersection was reconfigured some time after the accident and now is a four-way stop. Based on the record before us, we do not know to what degree, if any, the municipality would be responsible for the payment of compensatory damages even if the intersection had been negligently designed. The parties have different views about supposed administrative delays due to court-calendar congestion in South Africa. However, we do not find that a trial in South Africa would be any less expeditious than in New Jersey. We assume that timely justice can be achieved in either jurisdiction. A public-interest factor favoring plaintiffs is New Jersey's strong public policy of providing a forum for the redress of wrongs committed against its residents. Although the accident occurred in South Africa, the parties have ties to New Jersey. General Dynamics-Ordnance was doing business in New Jersey with the Army's Armament Research Center at the Picatinny Arsenal. A team from the Army, including Yousef and Robinson, as well as Raniere, and a team from General Dynamics-Ordnance, including Edmonds, met in South Africa for a munitions project with the Denel Corporation. This case concerns injuries caused to New Jersey residents by a corporate entity doing business in this Stateeven if the alleged negligent act occurred outside this country. New Jersey's interests are direct and concrete, not remote. Moreover, a New Jersey jury is not ill-suited to hear a case between residents of this State and a company doing business here.