Fact Pattern 2-1
Yoshi, a Japanese citizen working in Atlanta for his Tokyo firm, decided to rent an airplane and fly himself to the Annual Catfish and Zydeco festival in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He rented a small plane to fly there. Over Alabama, thunderstorms formed. Because Yoshi was not trained to fly by instruments, he decided to land at the next airport.
As he searched for a runway, Yoshi heard a loud clank followed by silence as the engine died. He tried to land in a field but crashed. While recovering in a rehabilitation center in California, Yoshi filed suit there against the Atlanta Airport and the owners of the airplane, alleging that they were negligent in their maintenance.
-Refer to Fact Pattern 2-1. If Yoshi's case was tried in federal court in California, and the substantive issue of law involved was liability for the injuries arising from Yoshi's crash, the court would apply the common law of California.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a federal court, the court would apply the substantive law of the state where the injury occurred, which in this case would be Alabama, not California. Federal courts apply state substantive law under the Erie Doctrine.

Fact Pattern 2-1 Yoshi, a Japanese Citizen Working in Atlanta for His Tokyo