Hoffman v. Blaski
Supreme Court
363 U.S. 335 (1960)
Blaski (plaintiff) sued Howell and a Texas corporation (defendants) for patent infringement in the Northern District of Texas; the defendants moved under 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a) to transfer to the Northern District of Illinois, a district that lacked original venue over the suit, but the Texas court granted the transfer anyway as being "in the interest of justice," and the Fifth Circuit affirmed. After Judge Hoffman (defendant) in Illinois denied Blaski's motion to remand back to Texas, Blaski sought a writ of mandamus from the Seventh Circuit, which was granted, prompting the defendants' appeal.
Whether a district court may transfer an action under Section 1404(a) to a district 'in the interest of justice' even though the action could not have originally been brought there.