Rufo v. Brauer, III, 3:25-cv-00793

Plaintiff Kevin Rufo, an Illinois resident, sued Defendant Walter Brauer III for breach of contract for failing to pay $207,000 per an agreement related to the sale of Brauer's company, Freight Solutions.
Rufo signed an employment and noncompete agreement with eShipping, LLC following the sale, as urged by Brauer.
As part of a separate agreement, Brauer promised to pay Rufo if Rufo executed the employment agreements and complied with certain conditions.
Rufo's employment with eShipping (a Missouri company) was ultimately not renewed; Rufo alleges all conditions of the agreement were met and payment demanded, but Brauer did not pay.
Brauer, a resident of Florida (and former Missouri resident), moved to dismiss the lawsuit for lack of personal jurisdiction in Illinois federal court.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Personal jurisdiction over Brauer in Illinois	Brauer purposefully availed himself to Illinois by entering contract with Illinois resident	Lacks minimum contacts with Illinois; contract and performance were centered in Missouri	Dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction

Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial Dist. Court, 592 U.S. 351 (2021) (Explains general and specific personal jurisdiction)
Daimler AG v. Bauman, 134 S. Ct. 746 (2014) (Discusses due process and minimum contacts for personal jurisdiction)
Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations, S.A. v. Brown, 131 S. Ct. 2846 (2011) (Articulates traditional notions of fair play in jurisdiction)
Tamburo v. Dworkin, 601 F.3d 693 (7th Cir. 2010) (Purposeful availment in contract jurisdiction cases)
Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462 (1985) (Unilateral acts by plaintiff do not confer jurisdiction)