E-Commerce Lawsuit: Can You Sue An Online Business?

In the last few decades, e-commerce has grown to become an important part of peoples’ everyday lives. From ordering packages to buying services and sending data, the internet has changed the way we do business, which inevitably also means problems can and will arise.

When legal trouble does occur, can you sue an online business? Depending on where the seller or owner of the website lives and operates out of, it can be incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to bring a lawsuit against them. Another factor is how often they conduct business in your area. The closer they live to you and the more often they conduct business in your area, the better chance you may have of bringing a lawsuit against them.

What are the rules to an e-commerce lawsuit? Ask these questions:

Does the website or online business advertise in your state?

Did the online business know where you lived, in other words, did you purchase a product that was shipped to you?

Does the online business have employees that conduct business in the state you reside in?

Does this online business have a registered agent that services the state you live in?

Does the online business have brick and mortar stores in your state?

Does the website you did business with do direct sales?

Did you agree to the websites ‘terms and conditions’ prior to purchasing the product or service?

Did the business knowingly sell a defective product?

Generally, the terms of the contract dictate where a lawsuit can be brought. Additionally, many terms and conditions have arbitration clauses to settle matters outside of court. If a business, however, knowingly sells a defective product, and does business in the area where the victim is located, then the victim can bring a personal injury lawsuit in their state against the business.

For more information about suing an online business, send us a message.