FORUM
A court of justice where disputes are heard and
decided; a judicial tribune that hears and decides
disputes; a place of jurisdiction where remedies
afforded by the law are pursued.
The appropriate forum for a lawsuit depends
upon which court has jurisdiction over the par-
ties and the subject matter of the case, a matter
governed mostly by statutes and court rules. For
example, rules of procedure provide that dis-
putes involving a certain dollar amount or dis-
putes between citizens of different states may be
heard in a particular court. When a contract is
the subject of the litigation, the parties may have
included in the contract a forum selection clause
that designates the court where any disputes
arising from the contract may be heard.A forum
selection clause will generally be upheld by a
court unless the party resisting it can show that
enforcement of the clause would be unfair or
unreasonable under the circumstances of the
particular case.
When more than one court is the appropri-
ate forum to hear a dispute, the plaintiff may
