---
kind: "section"
citation: "28 U.S.C. § 1369"
title: "28"
title_heading: "Judiciary and Judicial Procedure"
number: "1369"
heading: "Multiparty, multiforum jurisdiction"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/28/1369"
units:
  - "Part IV — Jurisdiction and Venue"
  - "Chapter 85 — District Courts; Jurisdiction"
---

# §1369. Multiparty, multiforum jurisdiction

- (a) **In General.—** The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action involving minimal diversity between adverse parties that arises from a single accident, where at least 75 natural persons have died in the accident at a discrete location, if—
  - (1) a defendant resides in a [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2) and a substantial part of the accident took place in another [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2) or other location, regardless of whether that defendant is also a resident of the [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2) where a substantial part of the accident took place;
  - (2) any two defendants reside in different [States](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2), regardless of whether such defendants are also residents of the same [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2) or [States](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2); or
  - (3) substantial parts of the accident took place in different [States](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2).
- (b) **Limitation of Jurisdiction of District Courts.—** The district court shall abstain from hearing any civil action described in [subsection (a)](#a) in which—
  - (1) the substantial majority of all plaintiffs are citizens of a single [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2) of which the primary defendants are also citizens; and
  - (2) the claims asserted will be governed primarily by the laws of that [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2).
- (c) **Special Rules and Definitions.—** For purposes of this section—
  - (1) minimal diversity exists between adverse parties if any party is a citizen of a [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2) and any adverse party is a citizen of another [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2), a citizen or subject of a foreign [state](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2), or a foreign [state](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2) as defined in [section 1603(a) of this title](/usc/28/1603.md?p=a);
  - (2) a corporation is deemed to be a citizen of any [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2), and a citizen or subject of any foreign [state](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2), in which it is incorporated or has its principal place of business, and is deemed to be a resident of any [State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2) in which it is incorporated or licensed to do business or is doing business;
  - (3) the term “injury” means—
    - (A) physical harm to a natural person; and
    - (B) physical damage to or destruction of tangible property, but only if physical harm described in [subparagraph (A)](#c-3-A) exists;
  - (4) the term “accident” means a sudden accident, or a natural event culminating in an accident, that results in death incurred at a discrete location by at least 75 natural persons; and
  - (5) the term “[State](/usc/28/1451.md?p=2)” includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or possession of the United States.
- (d) **Intervening Parties.—** In any action in a district court which is or could have been brought, in whole or in part, under this section, any person with a claim arising from the accident described in [subsection (a)](#a) shall be permitted to intervene as a party plaintiff in the action, even if that person could not have brought an action in a district court as an original matter.
- (e) **Notification of Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.—** A district court in which an action under this section is pending shall promptly notify the judicial panel on multidistrict litigation of the pendency of the action.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 107–273, div. C, title I, § 11020(b)(1)(A), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1826.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Pub. L. 107–273, div. C, title I, § 11020(c), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1829, provided that: “The amendments made by subsection (b) [enacting this section and sections 1697 and 1785 of this title and amending sections 1391 and 1441 of this title] shall apply to a civil action if the accident giving rise to the cause of action occurred on or after the 90th day after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 2, 2002].”