October Term 2013 · Docket 12-574

Can a state court hear a tort claim when the defendant acted elsewhere?

A federal officer faces a lawsuit in Nevada for actions taken in Georgia.

Official caption
Walden v. Fiore
Latest argument session
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Argued
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Official Transcript

Verified source milestones

  1. — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
  2. — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.

The arguments, in order

This case may have been argued more than once. Each entry below uses that session's official transcript. Later arguments do not erase earlier ones.

  1. Argument 1 ·

    What happened at the argument

    Bucholtz argued the Ninth Circuit made two errors in allowing the suit.

    Sherry argued the facts differ from the Calder precedent.

    Goldstein cited complaint paragraphs alleging a false affidavit caused harm.

    Read the official transcript for this argument · Official argument details

    Sources used for this argument breakdown

A citizen's guide to the whole case

What this case is about

The case tests whether a state court has power over a defendant who acted outside that state.

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How the case got here

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on November 4, 2013.

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What each side wants

Walden wants the case dismissed from Nevada courts.

Fiore wants to keep the lawsuit in Nevada.

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What each side says

Walden argues his actions in Georgia lack a link to Nevada.

Fiore argues the lawsuit targets Nevada residents and their money.

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What the justices asked

Justice Kagan asked what aiming at a state means in tort law.

Justice Alito asked what the Court meant by aiming at California in Calder.

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Why it matters

This case defines where a person can be sued for intentional harm.

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What happens next

This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity.

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Official Court provenance

Official docket and case history · Official Supreme Court oral-argument detail page

Title and summary sources

Revision history

  1. Revision 1 · Official Transcript ·

    Correction: Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.

  2. Revision 2 · Official Transcript ·

    Correction: Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.

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