Assignment:
Question
The National Enquirer, Inc., is a Florida corporation with its principal place of business in Florida. It publishes the National Enquirer, a national weekly newspaper with a total circulation of more than 5 million copies. About 600,000 copies, almost twice the level in the next highest state, are sold in California. The Enquirer published an article about Shirley Jones, an entertainer. Jones, a California resident, filed a lawsuit in California state court against the Enquirer and its president, who was a resident of Florida. The California lawsuit sought damages for alleged defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. California had a long-arm statute. The defendants allege that they were not subject to lawsuit in California and try to dismiss the case on grounds it should have been filed in Florida.
1. Are the defendants subject to suit in California? Why or why not?
2. Did the defendants act ethically in trying to avoid the lawsuit in California? Apply one of the ethical theories/systems we have studied in answering this question.