Philip Morris USA v. King Mountain Tobacco

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

PHILIP MORRIS USA, INC., 

Plaintiff-Appellant, v. No. 06-36066 KING MOUNTAIN TOBACCO  D.C. No.

CV-06-03073-RHW

COMPANY, INC.; MOUNTAIN

TOBACCO; DELBERT L. WHEELER, OPINION

SR.; RICHARD KIP RAMSEY,

Defendants-Appellees.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington Robert H. Whaley, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted May 10, 2007—Seattle, Washington

Filed January 20, 2009

Before: Melvin Brunetti, M. Margaret McKeown, and William A. Fletcher, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge McKeown; Concurrence by Judge William A. Fletcher

719 722 PHILIP MORRIS v. KING MOUNTAIN TOBACCO

COUNSEL

Daniel P. Collins, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Los Angeles, California, for the plaintiff-appellant.

J. Michael Keyes, Theresa L. Keyes, and Bart J. Freedman, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP, Spokane, Washington, for the defendants-appellees.

OPINION

McKEOWN, Circuit Judge:

This case is yet another of the difficult Indian jurisdiction cases considered by this court. The…