A zipline that collapsed at a Dominican Republic resort in May 2014 presents legal questions that are still being debated. The Georgia Court of Appeals scuttled a lawsuit Tuesday against the company that inspected the line and certified its safety—Signature Research Inc. of Douglasville—under the doctrine of forum non conveniens, “which provides that the trial court may dismiss an action if the interests of justice and convenience of parties renders another forum more appropriate.”

Judge M. Yvette Miller, joined by Presiding Judge Miller and Judge Clyde Reese, upheld Douglas County State Court Judge James Edward Barker in dismissing the lawsuit.

“After weighing all of the factors, the trial court found that the location of witnesses, the site of the accident, and the inability of a Georgia court to compel Dominican Republic witnesses to appear tilted the balance toward dismissing the case on the basis of forum non conveniens,” Miller wrote. “Our review is limited to whether the trial court abused its discretion.”