Keri Jensen v. Trine Jensen (Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, B2896111, January 24, 2019), is very fact specific, so its value is mostly in the court’s legal evaluation as applied to this specific case. Frankly, I am a bit surprised by the court’s holding. Daughter Trine came to California and moved her mother back to Utah to stay with Trine. Trine was also appointed as guardian ad litem for her mother in California. Mother sued other daughter Keri in California relating to a parcel of real property that had been co-owned by mother and daughter Keri. In that lawsuit Keri then cross-complained against Trine personally and individually, not as guardian ad litem, for intentional interference with prospective economic advantage claiming that Trine took advantage of mom’s advancing dementia and coerced mom to sever the joint tenancy in the California real property.

Trine filed a motion to quash for lack of personal jurisdiction which the trial court granted and the court of appeal upheld. Since the parties apparently agreed that Trine was not subject to general jurisdiction in California, the court evaluated whether Trine purposefully availed herself of the California forum benefits, whether the controversy is related to or arises out of the Trine’s contacts in California, and whether California’s assertion of personal jurisdiction over Trine would comport with fair play and substantial justice.

It seems to me that this case is a close call as the real property is located in California. The court in dicta also made the point that Trine was not sued in California as guardian ad litem. I also note that there would be jurisdiction over Trine in Utah. The case also has other less relevant facts and is interesting reading relating to possible undue influence.

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Every case situation is different. You do need to consult with professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation.

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only

Blogs: California trust, estate, and elder abuse litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com; D&O, audit committee, governance and risk management http://auditcommitteeupdate.com