The Miraculous Recovery of Cinnamon Beach: Personal Jurisdiction and Due Process

This critical incident is about a real situation in which Christopher Nolan and William McCall, Indiana residents, entered into an oral agreement with Scott Everett, a New York resident, to train and race their thoroughbred horse, Cinnamon Beach. In exchange for an interest in race winnings, net of jockey fees, Everett would incur the costs to maintain and train Cinnamon Beach. After Everett reported to Nolan that Cinnamon Beach had suffered a career-ending injury due to a fractured a bone in his foot, Nolan instructed Everett to find the horse a good home. However, Nolan and McCall discovered months later that Cinnamon Beach was racing again, under the training of Everett and for an owner who lived in New York, Judi Simek. Cinnamon Beach had won over $133,000 from races run in New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Nolan and McCall sued Everett and Simek in Indiana state court to recover 70 percent of Cinnamon Beach’s winnings. Everett and Simek argued that Indiana lacked jurisdiction over them.