United States Fifth Circuit

Volkswagen's petition for writ of mandamus seeking transfer of the case to another division and district in Texas, where the automobile accident and the injuries to the parties occurred, is granted where: 1) the district court erroneously applied the stricter forum non conveniens dismissal standard, as a party seeking a transfer pursuant to 28 U.S.C. section 1404(a) need only "show good cause"; 2) upon consideration and proper application of each of the relevant private and public interest factors, no relevant factor favored plaintiffs' chosen forum; and 3) the district court abused its discretion by failing to order transfer of the case.

Appellate Information

• Decided 10/24/2007
• Published 10/25/2007

Judges

• E. GRADY JOLLY, Circuit Judge, joined by EDITH H. JONES, Chief Judge, and JERRY E. SMITH, RHESA H. BARKSDALE, EMILIO M. GARZA, EDITH BROWN CLEMENT, OWEN, JENNIFER W. ELROD, SOUTHWICK and HAYNES, Circuit Judges:, Before JONES, Chief Judge, and KING, JOLLY, DAVIS, SMITH, WIENER, BARKSDALE, GARZA, BENAVIDES, STEWART, DENNIS, CLEMENT, PRADO, OWEN, ELROD, SOUTHWICK, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fifth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Danny S. Ashby (argued), Robert H. Mow, Jr., Christopher Donald Kratovil, K & L Gated, LLP, Dallas, TX, Burgain G. Hayes, Austin, TX, Ningur Akoglu, Ian Ceresney, Herzfeld & Rubin, New York City, for Volkswagen of America, Volkswagen AG., William David George, Earnest William Wotring, Connelly Baker Wotring, LLP, Lonny Jacob Hoffman, Houston, TX, Peter Albert Sullivan, Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, New York City, Oscar Rey Rodriguez, Fulbright & Jaworski, Szmiel Franklin Baxter, Robert E. Goodfriend, Rosemary T. Snider, McKool Smith, Dallas, TX, for Amici Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Martin Jonathan Siegel (argued), Law Offices of Martin J. Siegel, Houston, TX, Carl R. Roth, Roth Law Firm, Michael Charles Smith, Siebman, Reynolds, Burg, Phillips & Smith, LLP, Marshall, TX, Jeffrey T. Embry, Hossley & Embry, Tyler, TX, Thomas Andrew Crosley, San Antonio, TX, for plaintiffs-respondents.