Mansour

Petitioners Ernest P. Mansour and the law firm of Mansour, Gavin, Gerlack & Manos Co. L.P.A. (MGGM), Sue Anna Cellini and Emil Askew separately moved to quash service of summons for lack of personal jurisdiction. The superior court denied each motion and the parties have petitioned this court to overturn the superior court’s rulings. Since each petition arises from the same case and involves similar facts we consolidated the petitions for review. While real parties in interest Ralph Eidem, Jr., and Commercial Surety Bond Agency, Inc. (CSBA; collectively Eidem), attack the petitions on several grounds, the primary issues are whether Cellini and Askew waived their objections to California’s jurisdiction over them by making general appearances in the action, and whether a party is subject to suit in California because it belongs to a conspiracy and a coconspirator has committed forum-related acts which are alleged to be imputable to it.

Facts

Ralph Eidem is the president, chief executive officer and principal stockholder of CSBA, a California corporation which issues construction surety bonds. Mansour is an Ohio resident and licensed to practice law in that state. He is a…