Adolf v. API, INC.

726 F. Supp. 764
CourtDistrict Court, D. North Dakota
DecidedNovember 14, 1989
DocketCiv. Nos. A1-89-98 thru A1-89-138, A1-89-45 and A1-89-46
StatusPublished

This text of 726 F. Supp. 764 (Adolf v. API, INC.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. North Dakota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Adolf v. API, INC., 726 F. Supp. 764 (D.N.D. 1989).

Opinion

726 F.Supp. 764 (1989)

Oscar ADOLF, Plaintiff,
v.
A.P.I., INC., et al., Defendants.[*]

Civ. Nos. A1-89-98 thru A1-89-138, A1-89-45 and A1-89-46.

United States District Court, D. North Dakota, Southwestern Division.

November 14, 1989.

*765 Michael D. McNair, Lamb, McNair Law Firm, Fargo, N.D., for Asbestos Corp., Ltd. and Atlas Turner, Inc.

Ralph Walker, Davis, Hockenberg Law Firm, Des Moines, Iowa, Ronald McLean, Serkland Law Firm, Fargo, N.D., for Armstrong World Ind., Inc., Flexitallic Gasket Co., Inc., GAF Corp., Keene Corp., U.S. Gypsum Co., A.P. Green, National Gypsum, Turner Asbestos, Turner Newell and Union Carbide.

Mary Terzino, and John Borger, Faegre & Benson, Minneapolis, Minn., for Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp.

Eugene D. Buckley, Collins, Buckley Law Firm, St. Paul, Minn., for Fibreboard Corp., Owens-Illinois, Inc., Pittsburgh Corning Corp.

Colleen Saande, Dosland Law Firm, Moorhead, Minn., for U.S. Mineral Products.

Jon Parrington, Pustorino Law Firm, Minneapolis, Minn., for MacArthur Corp.

Paul Oppegard, Gunhus Law Firm, Moorhead, Minn., and Wayne A. Hergott, Moss & Barnett, P.A., Minneapolis, Minn., for Flintkote.

Kyle B. Mansfield, Meagher Law Firm, Minneapolis, Minn., for A.H. Bennett, S.O.S. Products.

Steven Storslee, Fleck Law Firm, Bismarck, N.D., for W.R. Grace & Co.

Robert Cragg, Cragg & Fobbe, Hopkins, Minn., for A.P.I., Inc.

William Lucas, Lundberg Law Firm, Bismarck, N.D., for Building Sprinkler Co.

Patrick Fisher, McConn Law Firm, Grand Forks, N.D., for Combustion Engineering.

*766 Duane Arndt, Arndt & Benton, P.A., Minneapolis, Minn., for Eagle-Picher.

Gerald Haga, Degnan Law Firm, Grand Forks, N.D., for Crane Packing.

Patrick Morley, O'Grady Law Firm, Grand Forks, N.D., for Garlock, Inc.

Stephen Plambeck, Nilles Law Firm, Fargo, N.D., for Empire Ace Insulation.

Doug Herman, Vogel Law Firm, Fargo, N.D., for Grant Wilson.

Elizabeth Runyan Greise, Shea & Gardner, Washington, D.C., for Cassiar Mining Corp.

Michael Fiergola, Zuger, Kirmis Law Firm, Bismarck, N.D., for Carey-Canada, Inc. Celotex Corp.

Robert Bennett, Bennett Law Firm, Minneapolis, Minn., for Crown Cork & Seal Co.

B. Timothy Durick, Pearce & Durick, Bismarck, N.D., for Rutland Fire & Clay.

Richard Jeffries, Jeffries Law Firm, Moorhead, Minn., for SEPCO.

George Soule, Bowman & Brooke, Minneapolis, Minn., and Steven Cahill, Cahill Law Firm, Moorhead, Minn., for Hercules Chemical.

Gary D. Sharp, MacArthur Law Firm, Detroit, Mich., and Michael Nelson, Ohnstad, Twitchell, West Fargo, N.D., for Southern Textile, H.K. Porter Co.

Susan M. Hansen, Stich, Angell Law Firm, Minneapolis, Minn., and Craig Richie, Richie & Associates, Fargo, N.D., for Asbestos Product Mfg. Corp., Asbestospray Corp., Spraycraft Corp., H. & A. Const. Corp.

David Walker, Sproul Law Firm, Valley City, N.D., for F & C Supply, Inc.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

VAN SICKLE, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

Oscar Adolf and the other 41 plaintiffs are workers and their families. Plaintiffs claim that exposure to asbestos fibre has caused them personal injury in the form of pulmonary asbestos-caused disease and disability. In total, forty-two defendants have been named, including those who mined, manufactured, processed, imported, converted, compounded, retailed, or wholesaled substantial amounts of asbestos.[**]*767 This action is in federal court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1441, which provides for removal from state court for actions against a foreign state or political subdivision. § 1441(d) allows removal even if some of the defendants are of the same residence as the plaintiffs. § 1441(d) also dictates that the case shall be tried by the court without a jury.

On August 4, 1981 Lac d' Amiante du Quebec, Ltee (LAQ), one of the defendants, filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. LAQ asks the Court to "dismiss Plaintiffs' Complaints as to it on the grounds and for the reasons that this Court lacks jurisdiction over its corporate person and Plaintiffs' attempt to have this Court exercise such jurisdiction in this forum violates its constitutional right to due process of law." Under the Local Rules, parties have ten days to respond to motions to dismiss. See Local Rule 5(a). Plaintiffs filed a memorandum in opposition to defendant's motion on August 25, 1989. Plaintiffs apparently mistook defendant's motion to dismiss as one for summary judgment with its twenty day response period. See Local Rule 5(b). Nonetheless, the Court has considered plaintiffs' brief.

FACTS

Some of the plaintiffs asserting claims were pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and ironworkers. The plaintiff's trade, they claim, exposed them to asbestos and asbestos containing products mined, manufactured, and distributed by the various defendants in these cases. Plaintiffs assert that this exposure to asbestos caused them to sustain personal injuries in the form of pulmonary asbestos caused disease. Several family members of these workers also claim that they were injured as a result of exposure to their family member's asbestos-contaminated clothing.

Based on an interrogatory answer by defendant Armstrong World Industries, a manufacturer of asbestos products, LAQ supplied asbestos to Armstrong. LAQ also supplied asbestos to defendants Johns-Manville, Owens-Corning, H.K. Porter, Fibreboard, and Raymark. Plaintiffs also assert that LAQ has not responded to discovery requests, including jurisdictional interrogatories served upon it on June 15, 1989. In its recent motion, however, defendant asserts that it mined, milled, and sold raw asbestos and that such asbestos was all sold F.O.B. Quebec, Canada. LAQ is and has been a Delaware corporation since 1952. LAQ has also taken advantage of the United States courts as a plaintiff on other occasions. See Lac d'Amiante du Quebec, Ltee v. American Home Assurance Co., 864 F.2d 1033 (3rd Cir.1988).

In its affidavit, LAQ asserts that it has never solicited sales or business in North Dakota, and never sold asbestos containing products to North Dakota customers. *768 LAQ further asserts that it has never contracted to supply North Dakota, maintain an office in North Dakota, or appointed or authorized any agent to accept process for suit in North Dakota. Finally, LAQ claims it has never brought suit in a North Dakota court, or availed itself of the benefits of North Dakota law in any way.

ISSUES

1) Whether defendant LAQ is subject to personal jurisdiction in this Court.

A) North Dakota's Long-Arm Statute.

B) Due Process Considerations.

C) The Eighth Circuit's Five-Part Test.

DISCUSSION

I. Personal Jurisdiction

When determining whether personal jurisdiction exists over a given party, a two-prong analysis is used. Austad Co. v. Pennie & Edmonds, 823 F.2d 223, 225 (8th Cir.1987). First, the party must fall within the provisions of the forum state's long-arm statute, a device which confers jurisdiction over a non-resident defendant. Id.

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Related

International Shoe Co. v. Washington
326 U.S. 310 (Supreme Court, 1945)
Hust v. Northern Log, Inc.
297 N.W.2d 429 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1980)
Adolf v. A.P.I., Inc.
726 F. Supp. 764 (D. North Dakota, 1989)
Irving v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp.
864 F.2d 383 (Fifth Circuit, 1989)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
726 F. Supp. 764, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/adolf-v-api-inc-ndd-1989.