Brown

This is an appeal by plaintiff Shelby Scott Brown, a minor, from an order of the Superior Court of Alameda County staying plaintiff’s action in that court pending initiation of proceedings in a more appropriate forum.

Plaintiff filed a complaint against defendants Clorox Company, Inc., Jiffee Chemical Corporation, and Lucky Stores, Inc., in the Superior Court of Alameda County. Plaintiff sought to recover damages for personal injuries sustained by virtue of ingestion of a product manufactured and sold by defendants. Exemplary damages in the sum of $2 million were also asked for upon the ground that defendants had prior knowledge of the toxicity of the product and its accessibility to children. Defendants appeared specially and moved to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure sections 410.30 and 418.10 on the grounds of forum non conveniens. Defendants also sought “an order determining that the law of the State of Washington is applicable to this case.”

Following a hearing, the lower court concluded that “[t]he State of California and County of Alameda and their courts do not provide a convenient forum for the prosecution of the within matter” and…