Opinion ID: 2614036
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts

Text: At the time of the events giving rise to this litigation, petitioners were the partners in Zahra's Gifts, a California general partnership with its principal place of business in Sacramento County, California. Real party in interest, UAC, is a New Jersey corporation with its principal place of business in Lodi, New Jersey. In August, 1992, petitioner Rasoul Firouzabadi (Firouzabadi) traveled to Las Vegas on behalf of Zahra's Gifts to attend the Associated Surplus Dealers/Associated Merchandise Dealers (ASD/AMD) trade show. UAC was a vendor at the show. During the course of the show, Firouzabadi met Ken and Larry Manus, representatives of UAC. While at the show, Firouzabadi and UAC negotiated and entered into two written contracts for the purchase of apparel. Under the first of these, dated August 17, 1992, Firouzabadi agreed to purchase 18,000 gauze shirts from UAC for a total purchase price of $18,000.00. Under the second contract, dated August 19, 1992, Firouzabadi agreed to purchase 10,000 rugby shirts from UAC for $14,500.00. The purchase price for both contracts was paid in full by Firouzabadi at the time the contracts were signed at the show. Both contracts provided that the shirts would be shipped from Lodi, New Jersey, to Zahra's Gifts' place of business in Sacramento County, California. A dispute subsequently arose regarding UAC's performance under the contracts and regarding representations allegedly made by Larry Manus at the trade show. Petitioners brought a breach of contract claimalleging that UAC did not ship the full quantity of gauze shirts ordered, that some of the gauze shirts received were unmarketable, that UAC has failed to deliver any of the rugby shirts, and that UAC has failed to refund any portion of the $14,500.00 purchase price paid for the rugby shirts. Additionally, petitioners brought claims for misrepresentation based upon Larry Manus' assurances that all of the shirts purchased were in UAC's inventory and ready to be shipped. Initially, petitioners retained counsel and filed suit against UAC in the Superior Court of California for Sacramento County. UAC appeared specially in the California action and moved successfully to quash service of process, arguing that it lacked any contacts with California sufficient to support the exercise of personal jurisdiction by a California court. Subsequently, petitioners commenced this action in the First Judicial District Courtthe nearest Nevada district court to petitioners' principal place of business. UAC moved to quash on the basis that it did not conduct business in Nevada and had not made use of the laws or protections of this state, and that its activities at the trade show were directed solely to those in attendance at the show and not generally to residents of this state. In response, petitioners filed a motion for leave to conduct discovery limited to the jurisdictional issues raised by UAC. Petitioners asserted by way of affidavit that UAC had participated in approximately twenty ASD/AMD trade shows in Nevada during the past ten years. [1] The district court entered an order denying petitioners' motion to conduct discovery and granting the motion to quash. The district court concluded that UAC had not purposefully availed itself of the privilege of serving a market in Nevada or affirmatively directed conduct toward this state by participating in the ASD/AMD trade show. Additionally, the district court concluded that Nevada had no significant interest in adjudicating the dispute between the parties, reasoning: If either party had significant business interests or involvement in our state, this action may have been appropriately brought in this court. However, the State of Nevada's interest in deciding a dispute between two businesses whose only tie to its jurisdiction is their coincidental presence in Las Vegas for a trade show is very negligible. Petitioners filed a petition for a writ of mandamus with this court, requesting that we direct the district court to vacate its order quashing jurisdiction, and to assume jurisdiction.