Nineteen Work-at-Home Employees Does Not Establish Regular and Established Place of Business For Venue

The court granted defendant's motion to dismiss for improper venue because defendant did not have a regular and established place of business through its work-at-home employees who resided in the district. "Although [defendant] has nineteen employees who are permitted to work from their individual residences in the Eastern District of Texas, the Court finds that none of these residences are 'places of the defendant'. . . . [Defendant] does not lease, or own any portion of these employees’ homes in the Eastern District of Texas. [Defendant's] employees do not regularly maintain physical inventory in this District, are 'free to live where [they] cho[o]se as far as [the defendant] [is] concerned,' and do not receive reimbursements and support conditioned on their location within this District. . . . [Defendant] emphasizes that '⁠[t]he territory to which [its] sales teams are assigned often bears little relation to the team members' place of residence.'"

Uniloc USA, Inc. et al v. Nutanix, Inc., 2-17-cv-00174 (TXED December 6, 2017, Order) (Gilstrap, USDJ)