Questions: If you witness your friend stealing a stranger's purse, can you sue your friend for the theft, assuming you file the lawsuit in the same state where it happened? No, because the court wouldn't have personal jurisdiction over your friend. No, because you don't have standing to sue. Yes, because your friend is liable for the theft. Yes, if the lawsuit was brought in state court instead of federal court. Submit

The answer is: No, because you don't have standing to sue.

This option is incorrect because personal jurisdiction refers to the court's power to bring a person into its adjudicative process. If the theft occurred in the same state where the lawsuit is filed, the court would likely have personal jurisdiction over your friend.

This option is correct. Standing is a legal principle that determines whether a party has the right to bring a lawsuit. To have standing, a person must demonstrate that they have suffered a direct injury or harm. In this case, as a witness, you have not suffered a personal injury or loss from the theft, so you do not have standing to sue your friend for the theft of a stranger's purse.

This option is incorrect. While your friend may be liable for the theft, you, as a witness, do not have the legal standing to sue for a crime that did not directly harm you.

This option is incorrect. The issue of standing is separate from the jurisdiction of the court. Regardless of whether the case is brought in state or federal court, you would still lack standing to sue for a theft that did not directly affect you.