The controversy in Hammons v. Ethicon is perfect for a law school civil procedure exam. The case presented a challenge to the exercise of specific personal jurisdiction in Pennsylvania over New Jersey corporate defendants in a case filed by an Indiana resident regarding injuries allegedly caused by a pelvic mesh medical device implanted in Indiana. While the device was assembled by the defendants out of state, the mesh component of the device was manufactured by a separate entity in Pennsylvania. After reviewing recent decisions from the United States Supreme Court revising its personal jurisdiction jurisprudence, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court applied a suit-or-controversy-based analysis of specific personal jurisdiction and ruled jurisdiction in Pennsylvania was proper.
