Patriot Exploration, LLC v Thompson & Knight LLP ; 2010 NY Slip Op 06217 ; Decided on July 27, 2010 ; appellate Division, First Department presents a discussion of forum non conveniens
as well as the question of why this is a NY case? Defendants wanted the case to be moved to Texas, notwithstanding the 2 year statute of limitations. Plaintiff is represented by a Massachusetts attorney admitted pro haec vice.
"In this legal malpractice action, the motion court did not abuse its discretion in declining to dismiss this action on forum non conveniens grounds (see Shin-Etsu Chem. Co., Ltd. v ICICI Bank Ltd., 9 AD3d 171, 175-77 [2004]). Since the court may grant a forum non conveniens motion "on any conditions that may be just" (CPLR 327[a]), which includes the power to impose "reasonable conditions designed to protect plaintiffs’ interests" (Chawafaty v Chase Manhattan Bank, 288 AD2d 58, 58 [2001], lv denied 98 NY2d 607 [2002]), the court could properly condition an inconvenient-forum dismissal on a waiver of the foreign forum’s
two-year statute of limitation (see e.g. Healy v Renaissance Hotel Operating Co., 282 AD2d 363, 364 [2001]; Seung-Min Oh v Gelco Corp., 257 AD2d 385, 387 [1999]; Highgate Pictures v De Paul, 153 AD2d 126, 129 [1990]). "