University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository
Abstract
A wide divergence of opinion exists regarding the wisdom as well as the constitutionality of extensive jurisdiction through the use of liberally drafted and construed long-arm statutes. Hesitance may result from a fear of burdening a defendant with the inconvenience and expense of a foreign suit brought against him solely for the purpose of harassment. While this comment does not advocate the extent to which a court should assert the jurisdictional powers conferred on it by a given long-arm provision, it examines the scope of jurisdiction constitutionally permissible over nonresident manufacturers in product liability cases with a view toward formulating administrable standards that a court may utilize to reconcile the varieties of commercial activity with the now-frequently-frustrated legislative goal of providing injured plaintiffs with a convenient forum
