Bonan v. Leach

22 F.R.D. 117, 1957 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4451
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Illinois
DecidedOctober 25, 1957
DocketCiv. No. 3878
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 22 F.R.D. 117 (Bonan v. Leach) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bonan v. Leach, 22 F.R.D. 117, 1957 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4451 (illinoised 1957).

Opinion

JUERGENS, District Judge.

Plaintiff filed his complaint in which he alleges he is the owner and operator of an abstract and title business in Mc-Leansboro, Illinois; that at the request of the defendants he rendered services in completing and delivering abstracts of land owned by the defendants and in recording a certain mortgage; that the total value of the services rendered under the agreement amounts to $8,866; that the plaintiff has made demand for payment but the defendants have failed and continue to fail to pay the amount owing to the plaintiff.

Jurisdiction is based on diversity of citizenship. The plaintiff is a resident [118]*118of the State of Illinois and defendants are residents of the State of Missouri. The amount in controversy fairly exceeds $3,000, exclusive of interest and costs.

The defendant B. K. Leach filed his motion to dismiss the action on the grounds that it is transitory in nature and it has not been brought in the district in which the defendants reside. The defendants Egyptian Tie and Timber Company and Oil Management, Inc., filed their motion to dismiss the action, or in lieu thereof, to quash the return of service of summons for the reason that service was not made by a proper party.

Defendant Leach asserts he is a resident of the State of Missouri and under the provisions of Section 1391(a), Title 28 U.S.C.A., this action must be brought in the Missouri District Court.

Section 1391(a), Title 28, U.S.C.A., provides:

“(a) A civil action wherein jurisdiction is founded only on diversity of citizenship may, except as otherwise provided by law, be brought only in the judicial district where all plaintiffs or all defendants reside.”

It is apparent that this assertion of defendant Leach is without merit. The statute above clearly provides that an action such as the one here under consideration may be brought in one of two districts. These districts are (1) where all the plaintiffs reside, or (2) where all defendants reside. The action here was brought in the district in which the plaintiff resides and is, therefore, brought in the proper district, provided proper service of summons has been made on the defendant so as to give this court jurisdiction over him.

All the defendants assert that the service of summons was improperly made in that the service was made outside the district in which this court sits and is, therefore, invalid and of no force or effect.

A summons was issued by the Clerk of this court. The original summons bears the following return:

“I hereby certify and return that on the 6th day of August, 1957, I received this summons and served it together with the complaint herein as follows: By delivering a true copy of summons together with copy of complaint attached thereto as furnished by the Clerk of the court to the within named defendant B. K. Leach 25 1948 Railway Exchange Building, St. Louis, Missouri, on August 12, 1957;
“I further executed the within summons by delivering a true copy of summons together with copy of complaint attached thereto as furnished by the Clerk of the court for each of the within named defendants, Egyptian Tie and Timber Company, a corporation, and Oil Management, Inc., a corporation, to B. K. Leach, president for each corporation, at 1948 Railway Exchange Building, St. Louis, Missouri, on August 12, 1957.
“Omer L. Schnatneier “United States Marshal “/s/ Tilden Delaney “Deputy United States Marshal”

The return shows that service was made on defendant Leach and the corporations by leaving a copy of the summons and complaint with defendant B. K. Leach personally, and as an agent of the corporations. It further appears that the defendants were served in the State of Missouri.

Rule 4 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Title 28 U.S.C.A., prescribes the manner in which service of process shall be made. It reads as follows:

“(d) The summons and complaint shall be served together. The plaintiff shall furnish the person making service with such copies as [119]*119are necessary. Service shall be made as follows:
“(1) Upon an individual other than an infant or an incompetent person, by delivering a copy of the summons and of the complaint to him personally or by leaving copy thereof at his dwelling house or usual place of abode with some person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein or by delivering a copy of the summons and of the complaint to an agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service of process. * * *
“(3) Upon a domestic or foreign corporation or upon a partnership or other unincorporated organization which is subject to suit under a common name by delivering a copy of the summons and of the complaint to an officer, a managing or general agent, or to any other agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service of process and, if the agent is one authorized by statute to receive service and the statute so requires, by also mailing a copy to the defendant. * * *
“(7) Upon a defendant of any class referred to in paragraph (1) or (3) of this subdivision of this rule, it is also sufficient if the summons and complaint are served in the manner prescribed by any statute of the United States or in the manner prescribed by the law of the state in which the service is made for the service of summons or other like process upon any such defendant in an action brought in the courts of general jurisdiction of that state.” (Emphasis supplied.)

Eule 4(d) (1), 4(d) (3), and 4(d) (7) must be read together. The words “ * * * prescribed by the law of the state in which the service is made * * * ” jn 4(d) (7) should be interpreted as meaning the law of the state existing at the time service is made. Eule 4(d) (7) specifically provides that in addition to other modes of service prescribed by the Eules, it is also sufficient if the summons and complaint are served in the manner prescribed by the law of the state in which service is made for the service of summons or other like process upon any such defendant or defendants in an action brought in a court of general jurisdiction of that state. In an opinion filed by this court on September 11, 1957, entitled Star v. Eognaly, 162 F.Supp. 181, it was there pointed out that “If the rule-making bodies intended that summons issued out of the federal courts shall be restricted to the territorial limits of the state in which the court sits, why did they insert in 4(d) (7) the language followed by the word ‘or’ as above set forth. Why waste time and space with meaningless provisions.” The various states have the right to protect their citizens and this right extends to the right to pass laws which will be in furtherance of such protection. It is beyond dispute that nonresidents have the right to enter any state in this union. However, when he does so he is subject to the laws of that state and is answerable for the violation of any of those laws. Eule 4(d) (7) permits service to be made in the manner prescribed by state statute. The validity depending only on the validity of the statute whereby such service is prescribed.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
22 F.R.D. 117, 1957 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4451, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bonan-v-leach-illinoised-1957.