A tie vote from the Supreme Court means California officials can be hauled into a Nevada state court to face allegations in a long-running tax dispute with a Nevada inventor.
The 4-4 deadlock lets Gilbert Hyatt sue California's tax agency in Nevada over charges that it invaded his privacy and committed fraud.
Hyatt is a former California resident who moved to Las Vegas in 1991, just before collecting $40 million in patent fees for developing a computer microprocessor chip.
California officials have spent years pursuing Hyatt over millions in back taxes. But Hyatt sued the agency claiming its officials were overzealous while pursuing him.
On a separate issue, the justices ruled 6-2 that Nevada cannot award greater damages than California law would allow.