Colloquial Reference to Facility Location Does not Establish "Physical Presence by Estoppel"

The court granted defendant's alternative motion to transfer for improper venue and rejected plaintiff's request to transfer its action from the Middle District of Tennessee to the Western District of Tennessee because defendant did not have a physical presence in that forum. "Plaintiff does not allege any physical presence by the Defendant in the Western District, and concedes that Defendant’s 'Memphis' facility is located in Mississippi. . . . Plaintiff also alleges that Defendant has previously stated that they maintain a 'Memphis' facility and that Defendant cannot now deny those representations. The correspondence that Plaintiff relies on, however, uses 'Memphis' as a colloquial reference to the facility’s location, rather than a representation that the facility is located in Memphis. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s 'physical presence by estoppel' argument fails to compensate for the factual shortcomings reflected in the record."

JPW Industries, Inc. v. Olympia Tools International Inc., 3-16-cv-03153 (TNMD October 10, 2017, Order) (McCalla, USDJ)