Campbell v. Gasper

102 F.R.D. 159, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16571
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedMay 18, 1984
DocketNo. CV-R-83-212-ECR
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 102 F.R.D. 159 (Campbell v. Gasper) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Campbell v. Gasper, 102 F.R.D. 159, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16571 (D. Nev. 1984).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISON AND ORDER

EDWARD C. REED, Jr., District Judge.

This is a diversity action wherein the Complaint alleges that Plaintiff, a Nevada resident, employed Defendant, a Long Beach, California attorney, to represent him in a California Superior Court in Long Beach against a fugitive from justice charge. The Complaint further asserts that Defendant did not exercise due diligence and was negligent in connection with both that lawsuit and an extradition proceeding that followed in September 1981. As a result, Plaintiff remained imprisoned in California, then was extradited to Nevada, where he is imprisoned for a lengthy term and faces further serious criminal charges.

After default had been entered against Defendant for failure timely to respond to the Complaint, Plaintiff moved for entry of judgment by default. The Court granted an extension of time for Defendant to oppose the motion. He then filed a motion to dismiss the action, pursuant to Fed.R. Civ.P. 12(b), for lack of in personam jurisdiction, insufficiency of process and insufficiency of service of process. Alternatively, Defendant moved to quash the service of summons.

[161]*161Defendant’s affidavit in support of his motions declares that he never has been personally served with summons and complaint in this action; that Plaintiff escaped from a Nevada prison in 1977; that a Carson City, Nevada, Justice Court issued a criminal complaint for escape and an arrest warrant against Plaintiff; that Plaintiff then was arrested in California and extradition proceedings were initiated to return him to Nevada; that Plaintiff, on July 29, 1981, retained Defendant to represent him in California in connection with the extradition proceeding; that Plaintiff’s only defense to the proceeding was that his physical safety could not be assured in Nevada because of fear of the Sheriff of Clark County, Nevada; that Defendant has never practiced law in Nevada nor represented Plaintiff in connection with Nevada charges; that, in connection with the extradition proceeding, Defendant’s only contacts with Nevada were telephone calls and a letter mailed to Nevada to verify Plaintiff’s contention that he would not be safe if he was returned to Nevada; that Defendant’s representation of Plaintiff terminated in September 1981; and that Defendant’s correspondence to Plaintiff thereafter was always at the latter’s insistence and request.

The returns of service on file, one for Defendant personally and the other as an attorney at law, both reflect that the services were by mail and that no acknowledgement or other proof that the mail was received by Defendant has been received by the U.S. Marshal’s office that handled the service by mail on behalf of Plaintiff.

Plaintiff, in response, argues that the filing of the motion to dismiss by Defendant constituted a general appearance, thus subjecting Defendant to the Court’s personal jurisdiction. In addition, Plaintiff emphasizes that a total of three letters were mailed into Nevada by Defendant, in addition to telephone calls into the State.

Fed.R.Civ.P. 4(e) authorizes service of process to be made on a nonresident defendant in the manner prescribed by statute of the forum state. Nevada’s long-arm statute, NRS 14.065, prescribes that personal service shall suffice, the service to be made by delivering a copy of the summons, together with a copy of the complaint, to the party served. The legislative purpose is to make certain that the out-of-state defendant receives actual notice of the litigation, as is required by due process. Certain-Teed Products Corp. v. Second Jud. Dist. Ct., 87 Nev. 18, 479 P.2d 781, 783-4 (1971).

Service by mail, even if actually effected, does not constitute personal service. Palmer v. Lantz, 215 Cal. 320, 9 P.2d 821, 823 (1932). Where the State statute is specific that personal service is required on a defendant who resides outside Nevada, a substituted form of service is ineffective. Moran v. Second Judicial Dist. Ct., 72 Nev. 142, 297 P.2d 261, 262 (1956). Even actual receipt of notice by a defendant who has not been served in the statutorily prescribed manner won’t result in personal jurisdiction over him. Jackson v. Hayakawa, 682 F.2d 1344, 1347 (9th Cir.1982).

Plaintiff’s argument that Defendant’s filing of a motion to dismiss constituted a general appearance is unavailing in this federal court action. The federal rules govern the resolution of such a matter. Wright v. Yackley, 459 F.2d 287, 291 n. 9 (9th Cir.1972). Unlike the rule in Nevada, see Sun Valley Ford v. Second Judicial Dist. Ct., 97 Nev. 467, 634 P.2d 464, 465 (1981), Fed.R.Civ.P. 12 has abolished the distinction between special and general appearances in federal court; jurisdiction may be challenged without making a “special” appearance. Wright v. Yackley, supra at 291; Hays v. United Fireworks Mfg. Co., 420 F.2d 836, 844 n. 10 (9th Cir.1969).

Since the insufficiency of service on Defendant has left this Court without personal jurisdiction over him, the default entered against him on October 6, 1983, must be vacated. See Lichtenstein v. Jewelart, Inc., 95 F.R.D. 511, 513 (E.D.N.Y.1982); Kadet-Kruger & Co. v. Celanese Corpora[162]*162tion of America, 216 F.Supp. 249, 250 (N.D.Ill.1963). Also, Defendant’s motion to dismiss must be granted. See Martin v. N.Y. State Dept. of Mental Hygiene, 588 F.2d 371, 373 (2nd Cir.1978). Such a dismissal is without prejudice, for the insufficiency of service basis for the dismissal could be rectified by effecting proper service on Defendant. However, in this case (Plaintiff is appearing pro se) it seems appropriate also to discuss the applicability of Nevada’s long-arm statute to Defendant.

In a diversity case, the power of a federal court to exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant depends on two tests: (1) the forum state must have a statute that potentially confers jurisdiction over the defendant and (2) exercise of jurisdiction must accord with principles of due process. Data Disc, Inc. v. Systems Tech. Assoc., Inc., 557 F.2d 1280, 1286 (9th Cir.1977).

Nevada’s statute, NRS 14.065, applies to a nonresident who does certain enumerated acts, including transacting any business within the State or committing a tortious act within the State. Shapiro v.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
102 F.R.D. 159, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16571, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/campbell-v-gasper-nvd-1984.