Alexandria, VA asked in Contracts and Landlord - Tenant for Rhode Island

Q: Where can I find statutes or cases that support that OK has subject matter jurisdiction over my case?

I am on active military orders in RI, owned a home in NC that was rented by tenants, who abandoned the property, breached contract and now live in OK. NC statute chptr 7A, Art 19, section 213 states I cannot file in the state because none of the defendants live there any longer. I filed in OK in the county in which the defendants live, went to court this past week, the judge agreed that the case was properly before him, but my case got moved to district court so they can interpret a foreign state's contract law because he did not feel comfortable imposing judgement on NC contract law, which he knew nothing about. The opposing attorney is objecting to the jurisdiction determination and will fight me again in district court. Where can I find more supporting facts that I can use in court to support that OK does indeed have subject matter jursidiction?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Neville Bedford
Neville Bedford
Answered
  • PROVIDENCE, RI
  • Licensed in Rhode Island

A: Your best avenue would be to engage an attorney practicing where the case is properly filed. There are myriad resources online for legal information, statutes, and case law along with many law schools that could provide you with the information you seek. However, a practicing attorney should be able to address these issues more quickly that you might, even if you had the time, money, and inclination to attend a law school.

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