Van Schijndel v. Boeing Co.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER REGARDING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS ON FORUM NON CONVENIENS GROUNDS

I.

INTRODUCTION

This action involves the crash of Singapore Airlines (“SIA”) Flight SQ006 on October 31, 2000 at Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan. Flight SQ006 collided with construction equipment when it attempted to take off from a runway that had been closed for repairs. Eighty three people died, approximately 71 were injured, and the aircraft was destroyed. Multiple Plaintiffs sued Defendants Boeing Company (“Boeing”) and Goodrich Corporation (“Goodrich”) (collectively, “Defendants”) in this forum seeking to hold Defendants liable on products liability theories for the injuries from the crash.

On February 6, 2004, the Court dismissed Plaintiffs’ claims on forum non conveniens grounds, finding that the Country of Singapore, among others, was an available alternative forum for this case and that the private and public interest factors favored dismissal. The van Schijndel group (“Plaintiffs”) appealed, and on November 15, 2005 a divided panel of the Ninth Circuit reversed the Court’s ruling and remanded the case to this Court for further proceedings. Among other…