Plaintiff, a resident of Alabama, filed complaint against several Defendants, alleging that in 2016 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma caused by his exposure to asbestos as various jobs in Illinois, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas between 1961 and 1999. Defendant GE, which had unrelated business in Illinois, did not consent to be sued in Illinois, as its activities here were insufficient to invoke court's general personal jurisdiction. Plaintiff did not establish a basis for court's specific personal jurisdiction over GE, as Plaintiff could not competently testify that furnaces used at one of his former employers were manufactured by GE. Doctrine of "jurisdiction by necessity" has not been adopted and thus cannot serve as basis for allowing jurisdiction over GE in Illinois. (CONNORS and DELORT, concurring.)
Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Personal Jurisdiction