Superior Court Affirms Trial Court's Dismissal of Case Under Doctrine of Forum Non Conveniens

In its non-precedential decision in the case of Gravenor-Reuter v. Acme Markets, Inc., No. 580 EDA 2024 (Pa. Super. March 11, 2025 Dubow, J., King, J., and Sullivan, J.) (Op. by Dubow, J.), the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of a case under the doctrine of forum non conveniens.

According to the Opinion, this matter involved Plaintiffs, who are residents of Delaware, from bringing a lawsuit in Philadelphia County regarding a slip and fall incident that happened in Delaware. The court also noted that the Plaintiff’s medical care occurred in Delaware.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court noted that Delaware is an available alternative forum for the Plaintiffs in this matter. The court also ruled that the Plaintiff’s choice of forum received less deference when the Plaintiff had chosen forum that is foreign to where the case can be brought.

In this matter, the court noted that the Plaintiff offered no evidence that any corporate decisions made by the Defendant, which was headquartered elsewhere in Pennsylvania, played any role in the incident that lead to the Plaintiff’s alleged injuries.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court ultimately ruled that the trial court’s decision dismissing the case under the doctrine of forum non conveniens was not an abuse of discretion.

Anyone wishing to review a copy of this non-precedential decision may click this LINK.


I send thanks to Attorney James M. Beck of the Reed Smith office in Philadelphia for brining this case to my attention.