United States First Circuit

Where no res is involved and both the federal and Puerto Rico forums are equally convenient, Puerto Rico courts are the appropriate forum for ongoing litigation of this prisoners' rights case where 1) the Puerto Rico courts first obtained jurisdiction; 2) in light of the many underlying unresolved issues of Puerto Rican law it would be better to avoid piecemeal litigation and to have the Puerto Rico courts decide those controlling issues of Puerto Rico law first; and 2) there is no reason to think the courts of Puerto Rico cannot protect the plaintiffs' rights.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/15/2006
• Published 02/15/2006

Judges

• LYNCH, Circuit Judge., Before TORRUELLA and LYNCH, Circuit Judges, and LASKER , District Judge.

Court

• United States First Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Salvador Antonetti-Stutts, Solicitor General of Puerto Rico, with whom Mariana D. Negrón-Vargas, Deputy Solicitor General, Maite D. Oronoz-Rodríguez, Deputy Solicitor General, and Doraliz E. Ortiz-De-León, Assistant Solicitor General, were on brief, for appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Guillermo J. Ramos Luiña, with whom Carlos V. García Gutiérrez, Alejandra Bird López, Rafael E. Rodríguez Rivera, and Civil Action and Education Corporation were on brief, for appellees.