Susan and Robert Johnson live in Missouri, where they own and operate an exotic cat breeding business known as the Cozy Kitten Cattery. The Johnsons have a website with the Internet address www.cozykittens.com. Kathleen Heineman operates a cat breeding business out of her home in Colorado. She purchased cats for the Johnsons, she twice delivered cats to the Johnsons in Missouri, and the Johnsons shipped seven cats to Heineman. Heineman also purchased advertising space from the Johnsons on www.cozykittens.com for a fee of $ 100 per kitten advertised.
At some point, their relationship went bad, and through www. ComplaintsBoard. com, owned by Melanie Lowry ( a California resident), Heineman posted that “ the Johnsons kill cats, the Johnsons ‘ rip off’ cat breeders, the Johnsons steal kittens, the Johnsons’ cats and kittens are infected, and the Johnsons are con artists.” In Motion, a California company, as an Internet service provider (ISP), hosted Lowry’s site. The Johnsons asked that the statements be removed, but they remained. The Johnsons filed suit in Missouri against Heineman, Lowry, and In Motion (defendants).
The three defendants asked that the case be dismissed because they could not be required to come to Missouri to defend themselves in a lawsuit. The federal district court dismissed the suit, and the Johnsons appealed. Discuss what the court should do with the case. Explain the rights of the parties involved in the litigation.