Roquette America, Inc. v. Gerber

Defendants appeal the decision of the district court that denied their motion to dismiss a tort action that alleged breach of a covenant not to compete, misappropriation of trade secrets, and intentional interference with contractual relations. They claim their motion to dismiss should have been granted due to lack of personal jurisdiction and forum non conveniens. We reverse the district court.

I. Facts

Roquette Freres (Roquette) is a French corporation which manufactures starches and starch derivatives, such as sorbitol, primarily for distribution in Europe. Ro-quette America, Inc. (RAI) is a…