The U.S. Supreme Court case Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall et al., 1983, revolved around the issue of whether a state court could exercise jurisdiction over a foreign corporation based on its contacts with the state. The plaintiff was the wife of an American who died in a helicopter crash in Peru; she sued Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia (Helicol), which operated the helicopter, in Texas where she lived and her husband worked for another company involved with Helicol's operations. The Supreme Court ruled that mere purchases made by Helicol from Texas companies and visits to Texas by its officials were not sufficient to establish minimum contacts necessary for personal jurisdiction under International Shoe Co. v Washington standard - they did not constitute "continuous and systematic" activities needed to warrant general jurisdiction over non-resident defendants. Furthermore, it held that even though some payments related to these transactions flowed back into Texas bank accounts owned by other parties involved with this case, such financial connections alone didn't make it fair or reasonable for Texas courts to assert authority over this Colombian entity.

In the dissenting opinion for Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall et al., Justice Brennan, joined by Justice Blackmun and Marshall, argued that the majority's decision was too narrow in its interpretation of minimum contacts necessary to establish personal jurisdiction over a foreign corporation. They believed that the company had sufficient contact with Texas due to their extensive business dealings within the state including purchasing helicopters and training pilots there. The dissenting justices felt these activities constituted "purposeful availment" of benefits from conducting activities within Texas which should have been enough to satisfy requirements for specific jurisdiction under International Shoe Co v Washington precedent. They also expressed concern about potential negative implications this ruling could have on future cases involving international businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions.