Opinion ID: 2998902
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Personal Jurisdiction Under ERISA

Text: “[A]ny district court in which a plaintiff brings an action under Title I of ERISA will have personal jurisdiction over the defendant,” if the defendant is properly served and has sufficient minimum contacts with the United States. Waeltz v. Delta Pilots Retirement Plan, 301 F.3d 804, 808 n.3 (7th Cir. 2002); see also 29 U.S.C. § 1132(e)(2) (“Where an action under this subchapter is brought in a district court of the United States, it may be brought in the district where the plan is administered, where the breach took place, or where a defendant resides or may be found, and process may be served in any other district where a defendant resides or may be found.”). Thus, in our personal jurisdiction analysis, we must determine if Phencorp had sufficient contacts with the United States as a whole. These contacts “may be related or unrelated to the facts forming the basis for the lawsuit.” Int’l Med. Group, Inc. v. Am. Arbitration Ass’n, Inc., 312 F.3d 833, 846 (7th Cir. 2002). “Contacts related to the subject matter of the lawsuit may give rise to specific personal jurisdiction, that is, jurisdiction over the person for a case arising from those contacts.” Id. (citing Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall, 466 U.S. 408, 414 (1984)). “When the contacts with the forum state are unrelated to the subject matter of the lawsuit, general personal jurisdiction may be established if the defendant’s contacts are so continuous and systematic that the defendant could reasonably foresee being haled into court in that state for any matter.” Id. (citing Helicopteros, 466 U.S. at 414-15). No. 05-2058 7