Hartford Fire Insurance Co. v. California
United States Supreme Court
509 U.S. 764 (1993)
California (plaintiff) charged Hartford Fire Insurance Co. (defendant), a London-based insurer whose relevant conduct occurred entirely in the United Kingdom, with violating the Sherman Act by conspiring to restrict the terms of commercial general liability insurance available in the United States. The district court exercised jurisdiction and found Hartford liable. The court of appeals agreed jurisdiction was proper because Hartford's conduct expressly targeted and substantially affected American commerce, outweighing considerations of international comity.
Whether principles of international comity ever require a domestic court to decline jurisdiction over an international antitrust dispute when jurisdiction would otherwise be proper.