Opinion ID: 1789071
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Minimum Contacts Analysis

Text: Because the father properly preserved his right to challenge the trial court's exercise of personal jurisdiction over him, we must determine whether that exercise of jurisdiction was proper. For a Texas court to properly exercise jurisdiction in suits seeking to impose a personal obligation to pay money, such as child support modification proceedings, two conditions must be met. First, a Texas long-arm statute must authorize the exercise of jurisdiction. Second, the exercise of jurisdiction must be consistent with federal and state constitutional guarantees of due process. Schlobohm v. Schapiro, 784 S.W.2d 355, 356 (Tex.1990). Section 11.051 of the Family Code provides the Texas courts with personal jurisdiction over nonresident parents with regard to child support. Subsection 4 of that provision requires only any basis consistent with due process. Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 11.051(4) (Vernon 1986). Under the federal constitutional test of due process, the plaintiff must initially show that the defendant has established minimum contacts with the forum state. International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 316, 66 S.Ct. 154,158, 90 L.Ed. 95 (1945). The plaintiff must then show that the assertion of jurisdiction comports with fair play and substantial justice. Id. The fair play analysis is separate and distinct from the minimum contacts issue. See generally Asahi Metal Indus. Co. v. Superior Court, 480 U.S. 102, 113, 107 S.Ct. 1026, 1032-33, 94 L.Ed.2d 92 (1987); Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462, 476-77, 105 S.Ct. 2174, 2184-85, 85 L.Ed.2d 528 (1985). The jurisdictional formula Texas courts are to use to ensure compliance with federal constitutional requirements of due process was recently clarified by this Court in Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance v. English China Clays, 815 S.W.2d 223 (Tex.1991). First, the nonresident must have purposely established minimum contacts with Texas. Id. at 230. This means that there must be a substantial connection between the nonresident defendant and Texas arising from action or conduct of the nonresident defendant purposefully directed toward Texas. Id. When specific jurisdiction is asserted, the cause of action must arise out of or relate to the defendant's contacts with Texas. Id. When general jurisdiction is alleged, there must be continuous and systematic contacts between the nonresident defendant and Texas. General jurisdiction requires a showing of substantial activities by the nonresident defendant in Texas. Id. Second, the assertion of personal jurisdiction must comport with fair play and substantial justice. Id. at 231. In this inquiry, it is incumbent upon the defendant to present a compelling case that the presence of some consideration would render judgment unreasonable. Id. (quoting Burger King, 471 U.S. at 477, 105 S.Ct. at 2185). The following factors, when appropriate, should be considered: (1) the burden on the defendant; (2) the interests of the forum state in adjudicating the dispute; (3) the plaintiffs interest in obtaining convenient and effective relief; (4) the interstate judicial system's interest in obtaining the most efficient resolution of controversies; and (5) the shared interest of the several states in furthering fundamental substantive social policies. Id. Once minimum contacts have been established, however, the exercise of jurisdiction will rarely fail to comport with fair play and substantial justice. Id.; see Burger King, 471 U.S. at 477-78, 105 S.Ct. at 2184-85; Schlobohm, 784 S.W.2d at 358. The mother argues that the trial court's exercise of personal jurisdiction over the father was proper under the federal and state guidelines. She argues that the father's trips to visit the children establish the necessary minimum contacts. In addition, the mother relies on the fact that the father sought employment in Amarillo to argue that the father's contacts with Texas were continuing, systematic and related to his relationship with the children. With the federal and state guidelines in mind, we hold that the Texas trial court's exercise of jurisdiction did not violate the father's right to due process. First, the father purposefully established minimum contacts with Texas. There was a substantial connection between the father and Texas arising from his repeated visits to Texas. Although it is unclear exactly how often the father came to Texas, the record reflects that he visited Amarillo so often between September 1987 and January 1989, that there were many months in which he was able to virtually eliminate his entire child support payment ($1800 per month) through his visitation expense offset. In analyzing minimum contacts, we recognize that it is not the number of the contacts with the forum state that is important. Rather, the quality and nature of the nonresident defendant's contacts are important. Guardian Royal, 815 S.W.2d at 230 n. 11. The record reflects that during his numerous trips to Texas, the father visited the children and sought employment in Amarillo. At the special appearance hearing, the father testified that on one trip to Amarillo he spent four hours with doctors at the Amarillo Diagnostic Clinic. During that visit, he inquired into the opportunities available at the clinic and expressed an interest in any openings that might arise. The father testified that, during a subsequent trip to Amarillo, he spent two hours making the rounds with another doctor at the clinic. This testimony indicates that the father's contacts with Texas included a continuing job search as well as visits with the children. Based on these facts, we find that the father purposefully established minimum contacts with Texas. Two Texas cases have held that there were no minimum contacts between the nonresident parent and Texas even though the parent had paid visits to Texas. See Cunningham v. Cunningham, 719 S.W.2d 224, 228 (Tex.App.Dallas 1986, writ dism'd); Ford v. Durham, 624 S.W.2d 737, 740 (Tex.App.Fort Worth 1981, writ dism'd). [2] Although these cases appear to conflict with our decision today, they are distinguishable from the instant case. In Cunningham, the nonresident parent's only recent contact with the state was one unsuccessful attempt to visit the child in Texas. Cunningham, 719 S.W.2d at 225. The court held that this contact and the mother's unilateral removal of the child to Texas without the father's approval did not establish any basis meeting the requirements of due process. Id. at 228. The facts of the present case are distinguishable from those of Cunningham. The father has made numerous trips to Texas to visit the children. Additionally, the father sought employment during his visits to Texas. In Ford, the nonresident parent came to Texas several times to visit the child and came to Texas at least twelve times to conduct business. Ford, 624 S.W.2d at 740. The court found that the father's trips to Texas to visit the child were insufficient to subject him to the jurisdiction of the Texas trial court. Id. The court further found that the business trips did not give rise to a cause of action regarding the parent-child relationship so as to subject him to the jurisdiction of the Texas courts. In this case, it appears that the father paid more visits to Texas than the nonresident parent in Ford. Additionally, Ford was decided before the Texas due process formula had been modified to allow for general jurisdiction. See Schlobohm, 784 S.W.2d at 358. Therefore, the court in Ford did not include the nonresident's business contacts as part of the due process analysis. In this case, the father's trips, when taken as a whole, are sufficient to establish minimum contacts with Texas. Second, the Texas court's assertion of personal jurisdiction comports with fair play and substantial justice. The burden on the father of adjudicating the suit in Texas is not an extremely heavy one. Although there are many miles between Texas and Minnesota, modern transportation and communication have made it much less burdensome for a party sued to defend himself in a state where he has minimum contacts. See generally McGee v. International Life Insurance Co., 355 U.S. 220, 223, 78 S.Ct. 199, 201, 2 L.Ed.2d 223 (1957). Moreover, the father's repeated trips to Texas indicate that traveling to this state does not present an undue hardship on him. Additionally, Texas has asserted its particularized interest in adjudicating child support by enacting a special jurisdictional statute. See Tex.Fam.Code Ann. § 11.051 (Vernon 1986); see also Kulko, 436 U.S. at 98, 98 S.Ct. at 1700. Finally, Texas has a vital interest in protecting the rights of children within its borders and providing for their support. For these reasons, we hold that the Texas court's exercise of jurisdiction comports with fair play and substantial justice.