Opinion ID: 181111
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: standard of review

Text: We review for clear abuse of discretion a district court's determination that the doctrine of forum non conveniens requires dismissal of a case. Duha v. Agrium, Inc., 448 F.3d 867, 873 (6th Cir.2006). [1] A dismissal upon the grounds of forum non conveniens is justified when a defendant establishes that an adequate alternative forum is available and that the public and private factors enumerated in Gulf Oil Corp. v. Gilbert, 330 U.S. 501, 508-09, 67 S.Ct. 839, 91 L.Ed. 1055 (1947), demonstrate that the chosen forum is unnecessarily burdensome to a defendant or a district court. Id. The relevant public and private factors in a forum non conveniens challenge, as set forth in Gulf Oil, include access to witnesses and evidence, availability of compulsory process, cost of obtaining witnesses, administration difficulties for the trial court, local interest in the litigation, and the law applicable to the controversy. Gulf Oil, 330 U.S. at 508-09, 67 S.Ct. 839. These factors are to be considered for each analytically distinct claim brought by a plaintiff. Duha, 448 F.3d at 879. [W]here the 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, 70 L.Ed.2d 419 (1981). In determining whether a case should be dismissed on the grounds of forum non conveniens, a district court must apply a strong presumption in favor of a plaintiff's selected forum, particularly if the forum is the home of the plaintiff, because it is reasonable to assume that this choice is convenient. Id. at 255-56, 102 S.Ct. 252. When the plaintiff's choice of forum, however, is not the home of the plaintiff, the normally applicable assumption that the forum choice is convenient carries significantly less weight. Id. at 255-56, 102 S.Ct. 252. Nevertheless, [t]his lesser standard of deference should presumptively not apply to a U.S. plaintiff's choice of forum. Duha, 448 F.3d at 874. Instead, [i]n general, the standard of deference for a U.S. plaintiff's choice of a home forum permits dismissal only when the defendant `establish[es] such oppressiveness and vexation to a defendant as to be out of all proportion to a plaintiff's convenience, which may be shown to be slight or nonexistent.' Id. 873-74 (quoting Koster v. Am. Lumbermens Mut. Cas. Co., 330 U.S. 518, 524, 67 S.Ct. 828, 91 L.Ed. 1067 (1947) (alteration in original)).