Forum non conveniens

Forum non conveniens, which is Latin for inconvenient forum, gives a court discretion to send a case somewhere else when another court would be a much better fit. The court weighs private factors like where witnesses and evidence are located, and public factors like court congestion and which state's law applies. In federal court, the doctrine usually applies when the better forum is in another country, while transfers within the federal system happen under a separate statute. It is not lightly invoked, and the plaintiff's choice of forum is given some respect. A successful motion can effectively end a case if the plaintiff cannot or will not refile elsewhere.