Plaintiff Wolfe was a New Jersey resident who owned a collection of classic automobiles, one of which was a rare Alfa Romeo 6C
3000 Competizione that was to be auctioned. In the federal District Court in New Jersey, Wolfe filed suit for defamation and trade
libel against Gooding and Company, a California corporation that auctions automobiles, and generates business, in part, by sending
catalogs to New Jersey residents, but whose principle place of business is Santa Monica, California. The plaintiff claimed that the
defendant had made defamatory comments about him in three places: the company’s website, the company’s catalog of cars listed
for auctions, and at the company’s auction in California. The defamatory statements allegedly had the effect of lowering the value
of the car that the plaintiff was trying to sell. The defendant filed a motion to dismiss on grounds that the company did not have
sufficient minimum contacts with the state of New Jersey.
1- Do you think the trial court granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss?
2- Why or why not? [Wolfe v. Gooding & Co. 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26165.]
3- How would you decide if you were the judge, based on the chapter reading?
