Atlantic Marine Construction Co. v. United States District Court
United States Supreme Court
571 U.S. 49 (2013)
Atlantic Marine Construction Co. (Atlantic) (defendant) subcontracted part of a construction project to J-Crew Management, Inc. (J-Crew) (plaintiff) under an agreement with a forum-selection clause naming Norfolk, Virginia state or federal court for any disputes. J-Crew instead sued Atlantic over a payment dispute in the Western District of Texas. Atlantic moved to dismiss for improper venue or, alternatively, to transfer to the Eastern District of Virginia based on the forum-selection clause; the district court denied both motions, and the Fifth Circuit affirmed. The Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Whether, when parties have entered into a valid forum-selection clause designating a federal venue, the case should be transferred to that district absent extraordinary circumstances unrelated to the parties' convenience.