Which scenario most clearly supports personal jurisdiction under the concept of purposeful availment?

• A. Advertising and selling products in the forum without physical presence there.
• B. Never transacting business in the forum state but shipping products there.
• C. Advertising and selling products in the forum and otherwise targeting residents there.
• D. Only having a single, incidental contact with the forum.

Answer: (C)

Purposeful availment means a defendant has taken deliberate actions to engage with the forum state, such that it is reasonable to require them to defend a lawsuit there. The scenario where a defendant advertises and sells products in the forum and actively targets residents there shows a conscious decision to do business in that state. By directing marketing and sales specifically to residents, the defendant derives benefits from the forum’s market and bears its burdens, making it reasonably foreseeable that they could be sued there for transactions connected to those activities. This direct targeting and the ongoing business relationship with forum residents establish a strong link between the defendant and the forum, satisfying due process for jurisdiction over claims arising from those transactions.

Ads or sales in the forum without physical presence can contribute, but lack of targeted outreach or ongoing business makes the connection less clear. Shipping products into the forum without targeting residents often looks more like unilateral commerce than purposeful availment. A single incidental contact is far too weak to support jurisdiction.