Best Van Lines v. Walker [1]

Best Van Lines sued Tim Walker, an Iowa resident, for defamation in federal District Court in New York. According to an appellate decision in the case, Walker posted comments about Best Van Lines on his website, MovingScam.com [2], asserting that the company operated without the required insurance and was performing household moves without legal authorization.

Walker moved to dismiss the lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds. The district court granted the motion, reasoning that New York's "long-arm" statute did not give the court jurisdiction over Walker. Best Van Lines appealed, and the Second Circuit affirmed, ruling that Walker's web postings were insufficient to establish that he "transacted business" in New York or "purposely availed" himself of the privilege of conducting activities in New York.

This is considered a landmark case concerning internet-based jurisdiction.