SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - California consumer protection laws do not apply to eBay fraud when the sales do not specifically target California buyers, the 9th Circuit ruled.
Paul Boschetto bought a 1964 Ford Galaxie from Wisconsin classic car seller Jeffrey Hansing for $34,106. After Boschetto had the car shipped to California, he discovered that it did not meet his expectations. It was rusty, dented, and the motor would not start.
Deciding an issue that "remains surprisingly unanswered by the circuit courts," Judge Fletcher ruled that the contacts between the two parties were too limited to establish personal jurisdiction.
"The lone transaction for the sale of one item," Fletcher wrote, "does not establish the defendants personally availed themselves of the privilege of doing business in California."
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