Commentonthe Case:The Chinese Company Hubei Gezhouba Sanlian IndustrialCo. Ltd .Seeks the Enforcement of PRC Court Judgment against the American Company Robinson Helicopter Company Incforthe Damages Causedby Its Supplied Defective Helicopter
This article is about the case Hubei Gezhouba Sanlian Industrial Co., Ltd. v. Robinson Helicopter Company Inc. The helicopter designed and manufactured by Robinson Helicopter Company Inc.(“RHC”) crashed into the Yangtze River. The complaint in the California State Action alleged damages from the crash against RHC based on theories of negligence, strict liability, and breach of implied warranty.RHC moved to stay or dismiss the California State Action on the ground of forum non conveniens,but didn' t attend the trial in China. Later, the plaintiffs filed their complaint in this action seeking to enforce the PRC Judgment. However' the district Court granted Summary Judgment in favor of defendant on the ground that the statute of limitations had expired before the Chinese lawsuit was filed. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued its memorandum decision in this case ruling the action in the PRC was not barred by the statute of limitations. Finally, the United States District Court California recognized the PRC judgment. This article briefly introduced the facts of the case,analyzed the reasoning of the Court's decision,then commented on some legal issues of this case.