Northern Grain Marketing, LLC v. Greving

Dist. Ct. did not err in dismissing for lack of personal jurisdiction plaintiff-Illinois grain buyer’s complaint seeking order compelling defendant-Wisconsin farmer to undergo arbitration of underlying claim by plaintiff that defendant had breached several contracts to sell to plaintiff grain that was grown on defendant’s Wisconsin farm. Defendant lacked minimum contacts with Illinois so as to allow plaintiff to sue him in Illinois where: (1) defendant made only one visit to Illinois to attend seed-corn meeting, where he first met plaintiff’s representative; (2) record contained no evidence indicating that defendant had attended seed-corn meeting to find buyer for his grain; (3) all of plaintiff’s subsequent contacts/negotiations with defendant took place in Wisconsin, where all written contracts that contained arbitration clause were executed; and (4) defendant’s contracts with plaintiff were performed entirely in Wisconsin. Fact that defendant contracted with Illinois party was insufficient, by itself, to establish personal jurisdiction over defendant.