Frank's thread on the incident on the subway in Philly brought this to mind, but I figured this belonged in a separate thread. An Amtrak train station is near my home and I have considered using it for travel a time or two. I recently came across this on their website.
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conten...49471&ssid=149
I have to admit, not that I plan on getting into trouble on the train, but I find this a disincentive to want to use their service. Has anyone here seen a situation on Amtrak where charges were handled in D.C. courts instead of the jurisdiction where the incident happened? I'm also under the impression that the laws in D.C. are much more strict than many other parts of the country.
I wouldn't have been too surprised to see that Amtrak is covered under federal laws, but it surprised me to see that D.C. has jurisdiction.
Governing Law
All travel on, and transactions with, Amtrak is governed by the laws of the District of Columbia, United States of America, without regards to its principles of conflicts of law. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of any State or Federal court located in the District of Columbia, United States of America, and waive any jurisdictional, venue or inconvenient forum objections to such courts.
All travel on, and transactions with, Amtrak is governed by the laws of the District of Columbia, United States of America, without regards to its principles of conflicts of law. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of any State or Federal court located in the District of Columbia, United States of America, and waive any jurisdictional, venue or inconvenient forum objections to such courts.
I have to admit, not that I plan on getting into trouble on the train, but I find this a disincentive to want to use their service. Has anyone here seen a situation on Amtrak where charges were handled in D.C. courts instead of the jurisdiction where the incident happened? I'm also under the impression that the laws in D.C. are much more strict than many other parts of the country.
I wouldn't have been too surprised to see that Amtrak is covered under federal laws, but it surprised me to see that D.C. has jurisdiction.
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