Opinion ID: 601565
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Personal Jurisdiction Over Sipahioglu.

Text: 32
33 A district court's determination that personal jurisdiction cannot properly be exercised is a question of law reviewable de novo when the underlying facts are undisputed. Haisten v. Grass Valley Medical Reimbursement Fund, Ltd., 784 F.2d 1392, 1396 (9th Cir.1986). A district court's factual findings on jurisdictional issues must be accepted unless they are clearly erroneous. Stock West, Inc. v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, 873 F.2d 1221, 1225 (9th Cir.1989). Rano bears the burden of establishing a prima facie case supporting in personam jurisdiction. Data Disc, Inc. v. Systems Technology Assocs., Inc., 557 F.2d 1280, 1285 (9th Cir.1977). 3 34
35 The district court dismissed the claim against Sipahioglu because it found it lacked personal jurisdiction over him. Sipahioglu is a citizen of Turkey and a long-time resident of France. His ties to California include three short visits to California in the last seven years, totaling six days. None of Sipahioglu's visits to California involved Rano or his photographs. 36 There is no applicable federal statute governing personal jurisdiction in this matter, hence the law of the state in which the district court sits--California--applies. See Hylwa, M.D., Inc. v. Palka, 823 F.2d 310, 312 (9th Cir.1987). California has adopted a typical long-arm statute, rendering jurisdiction coextensive with the outer limits of due process. Data Disc, 557 F.2d at 1286; Cal.Code Civ.Proc. § 410.10. 37 A state may assert either general or specific jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant. If the defendant's activities in the state are substantial or continuous and systematic, general jurisdiction may be asserted even if the claim is unrelated to the defendant's activities. Data Disc, 557 F.2d at 1287. Rano does not argue that Sipa is subject to general jurisdiction; instead, Rano relies on specific jurisdiction. 38 Under specific jurisdiction, a court may assert jurisdiction for a cause of action that arises out of the defendant's forum-related activities. Haisten, 784 F.2d at 1392. In Haisten we established a three-part test for determining when a court can exercise specific jurisdiction: 39 (1) the defendant must perform an act or consummate a transaction within the forum, purposefully availing himself of the privilege of conducting activities in the forum and invoking the benefits and protections of its laws; 40 (2) the claim must arise out of or result from the defendant's forum-related activities; 41 (3) exercise of jurisdiction must be reasonable. Haisten, 784 F.2d 1392 (citing Pacific Atl. Trading Co. v. M/V Main Express, 758 F.2d 1325, 1327 (9th Cir.1985)). Rano must show that all three prongs are satisfied for us to assert personal jurisdiction. Pacific Atl. Trading Co., 758 F.2d at 1329 (requirements are conjunctive). 42 Rano contends that Sipahioglu caused and profited from Sipa's grant of licenses of Rano's photographs to magazine publications that he knew would be distributed in California. This is enough, Rano argues, to satisfy the purposeful availment and arising out of requirements of Haisten. 43 We disagree. Sipahioglu could not have foreseen Rano's fortuitous move from Europe to California. See Pacific Atl. Trading Co., 758 F.2d at 1329 (no basis to assume foreseeability of suit in California based on agreement signed in Malaysia). Further, there is no evidence that Sipahioglu invoked any of the benefits or protections of California's laws. Rano's argument, if accepted, would render Sipahioglu, and other foreign owners of art who sell their products to publications, amenable to personal jurisdiction in every state in which their art eventually is displayed. We have held that litigation against an alien defendant requires a higher jurisdictional barrier than litigation against a citizen from a sister state. Frank Sinatra v. National Enquirer, Inc., 854 F.2d 1191, 1199 (9th Cir.1988) (citing cases); Pacific Atl. Trading Co., 758 F.2d at 1330 ( 'foreign-acts-with-forum-effects jurisdictional principle must be applied with caution, particularly in an international context ' ) (citations omitted). 44 We find that Rano has not satisfied the burden of establishing personal jurisdiction over Sipahioglu; hence we affirm the district court's dismissal of the claims against Sipahioglu. 45