NCAA urges Alabama Supreme Court to dismiss Pruitt suit for lack of specific jurisdiction

Forrest Latta, representing the NCAA, asked the court to dismiss the petition for lack of specific personal jurisdiction, saying the complaint’s allegations do not describe any NCAA-initiated acts in Alabama. Latta reviewed seven factual allegations in the amended complaint and said, “none of these refer to any NCAA conduct in Alabama,” arguing the operative acts occurred in Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana.

Latta defended applying established jurisdiction tests and analogies to product and Internet cases, citing the court’s Facebook ruling and distinguishing cases where defendants engaged in conduct purposefully directed at a forum. He urged that market presence—even a number of member institutions—does not automatically create specific jurisdiction absent targeted NCAA actions in the state.