Opinion ID: 577047
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: availability and adequacy of the netherlands forum

Text: 10 This court previously has found the Dutch courts available and adequate for the resolution of maritime disputes. Belcher Co. of Alabama, Inc. v. M/V MARATHA MARINER, 724 F.2d 1161, 1165-66 (5th Cir.1984); Veba-Chemie A.G. v. M/V GETAFIX, 711 F.2d 1243, 1245 (5th Cir.1983). But ELMA argues that the Dutch forum is inadequate in this case because the extent of merits activity already completed by ELMA in anticipation of trial in the United States makes dismissal unfair. ELMA further argues that the Dutch forum is inadequate because the different judicial culture of the Dutch courts will prejudice ELMA's ability to present its case in the Netherlands, in part because depositions of key witnesses, including the sole survivor of the sinking, are not admissible. 11 SWD and SUAG both are amenable to process in the Netherlands, and Dutch law permits ELMA to litigate against SWD the type of claims that are the subject matter of this dispute. The district court specifically concluded that Dutch courts will hear maritime disputes between foreign parties arising from accidents on the high seas, and will recognize claims for damages in tort against a product manufacturer. Consequently, the court reasoned, the Netherlands affords an adequate forum for adjudicating ELMA's and SWD's third-party claims. We cannot say that the district court's conclusion was unreasonable. There exist in this case at least two forums in which all defendants are amendable to process. Air Crash, 821 F.2d at 1164. And the alternate forum is adequate if differences in that forum's laws would not deprive the plaintiff of all remedies or result in unfair treatment. Id. at 1165. Absent unfairness, differences in the law of the alternate forum are not a substantial factor to consider. Piper, 454 U.S. at 254-55, 102 S.Ct. at 265. 12 ELMA urges that Dutch rules prohibiting admissibility of foreign depositions prejudice ELMA's ability to put on its case in the Netherlands. But ELMA does not attack the substance of SWD's rebuttal, that Dutch law does not render the critical depositions actually inadmissible, but rather makes their admissibility at trial subject to the judge's discretion. Further, while ELMA contends that Dutch courts are unable to compel the live testimony of certain German witnesses at trial, ELMA's Reply Brief cites no authority in support of that contention despite SWD's rebuttal. In light of the fact that ELMA's key German witnesses were deposed de bene esse, and the uncontested averment that the Dutch court has discretion to permit ELMA to introduce those depositions at trial, we reject ELMA's argument that the Dutch forum is unfair for the reason that ELMA will be unable to present its case. And we think that the judicial culture differences in truth are differences in substantive and procedural law that, while affecting ELMA's rights, do not deprive ELMA of redress for its alleged injury or cause unfairness. 13 Relying on Lony v. E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co., 935 F.2d 604 (3d Cir.1991) (Lony II ), ELMA argues that forum non conveniens dismissals are inappropriate in cases where substantial discovery has taken place. Lony II specifically holds that whenever discovery in a case has proceeded substantially so that the parties already have invested much of the time and resources they will expend before trial, the presumption against dismissal ... greatly increases. Id. at 614. But the district court here specifically considered and rejected ELMA's argument that the advanced status of this case weighs against dismissal. The court observed that, while the cargo suit was filed eight years before, ELMA did not file its third-party claim until 1988. The court concluded that [w]hile much work has been done on this case, ... this one factor does not outweigh ... factors which call for dismissal. And SWD attacks the notion that this case is trial-ready with the fact that SWD has been unable to develop its fault-shifting defense against SUAG. We do not think that the district court was unreasonable in weighing as it did the stage of development in this case.