Reynolds v. International Amateur Athletic Federation
U.S. District Court, S.D. Ohio
841 F.Supp. 1444 (1992)
World-record sprinter Harold 'Butch' Reynolds (plaintiff) tested positive for a steroid at a meet in Monaco and was suspended for two years by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) (defendant), costing him a chance to compete in the 1992 Olympics, even though an earlier test and later arbitration proceedings had cleared him. Reynolds sued the IAAF in his home state of Ohio for breach of contract, defamation, tortious interference, and denial of contractual due process; the IAAF argued Ohio courts had no jurisdiction over it and refused to participate.
Whether an international organization that acts through its members may be subject to the jurisdiction of a particular court based on a member's contacts with, and activity in, the forum.