The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to take up a key business dispute over a California court ruling that made it easier for nonresidents to join in mass class action lawsuits.

The case, Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California, is one of several jurisdiction-related petitions filed with the court in recent months, signaling the increasing concern raised by business groups about being sued in states that have little connection to their products or the underlying dispute.