Campbell v. Parker-Hannifin Corp

Campbell v. Parker-Hannifin Corp. (1999) 69 Cal. App. 4th 1534, involved 20 separate plaintiffs in multiple wrongful death actions arising from the crash of an airplane in Australia. The plane was manufactured in Kansas, operated for 19 years by a Georgia-based company, and was modified for the long-distance flight to its new owners in Australia by a California company. Equipment used in the modification was purchased from a California corporation. The Court of Appeal found that the private factors were evenly weighted, since evidence of damages was in Australia, and evidence relating to the design and manufacture of the aircraft was in the United States. But the court held that the public interest favored trial in Australia because the trial of 20 separate wrongful death claims would contribute to court congestion and California's interest in the case was "not sufficient to justify the commitment of judicial time and resources that would be required if the case were tried here. " (69 Cal. App. 4th at p. 1542, 82 Cal. Rptr. 2d 202.)