Movsesian

I. Background

In 2000, the California Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1915, which amended California’s Code of Civil Procedure to provide California courts with jurisdiction over certain classes of claims arising out of insurance policies that were held by “Armenian Genocide vitcim[s].” Sen. Bill No. 1915 (1999- 2000 Reg. Sess.), 2000 Cal. Legis. Serv. 543 (West 2000), codified at Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 354.4. The Bill also amended the Code to extend the statute of limitations for such claims until December 31, 2010. Id. Section 354.4, in its entirety, provides:

(a) The following definitions govern the construction of this section:

(1) “Armenian Genocide victim” means any person of Armenian or other ancestry living in the Ottoman Empire during the period of 1915 to 1923, inclusive, who died, was deported, or escaped to avoid perse- cution during that period.

(2) “Insurer” means an insurance provider doing business in the state, or whose contacts in the state 11420 MOVSESIAN v. VICTORIA VERSICHERUNG AG satisfy the constitutional requirements for jurisdic- tion, that sold life, property, liability, health, annui- ties, dowry, educational, casualty, or any other insurance…