Canadian Bronze Co. v. Kenzler

64 F.R.D. 79
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedAugust 28, 1974
DocketCiv. A. No. 72-C-462
StatusPublished

This text of 64 F.R.D. 79 (Canadian Bronze Co. v. Kenzler) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Canadian Bronze Co. v. Kenzler, 64 F.R.D. 79 (E.D. Wis. 1974).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

REYNOLDS, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the court on a motion to dismiss brought by third party defendants Simplicity Engineering Company and Simplicity Materials Handling, Ltd. The third party defendants seek to dismiss the action as to them, urging, among other grounds, that this [81]*81court lacks jurisdiction over the person of the third party defendants.

Plaintiff Canadian Bronze Company, Ltd., is a Canadian corporation having its principal place of business in Montreal, Canada. From October 1967 through August 1971, plaintiff retained the principal defendant, the Kenzler Engineering Company, Inc. (hereinafter “Kenzler”), to plan and design an automated production facility at plaintiff’s plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Defendant Kenzler is a Wisconsin corporation having its principal place of business in Milwaukee.

On October 30, 1972, plaintiff commenced this action against Kenzler alleging that Kenzler was negligent in the performance of services and design of the Canadian facility. On November 16, 1973, defendant Kenzler was granted leave to file a third party complaint against, among other suppliers, Simplicity Engineering Company (hereinafter “Simplicity Engineering”) and Simplicity Materials Handling, Ltd. (hereinafter “Simplicity Limited”). Simplicity Engineering is a Michigan corporation and Simplicity Limited is a Canadian corporation.

In the third party complaint, Kenzler alleged that it had entered into subcontracts with Simplicity Engineering and Simplicity Limited for the design and installation of certain equipment at the Canadian Bronze plant in Winnipeg, and claimed that if Canadian Bronze is entitled to recover, Simplicity Engineering and Simplicity Limited are liable for the amount of the judgment.

On February 4, 1974, the impleaded defendants Simplicity Engineering and Simplicity Limited moved to dismiss the action for lack of personal jurisdiction. Their motion is granted.

Rule 4(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure incorporates by reference the state long-arm statutes and compels the district court to apply state law in determining whether extraterritorial service of process is an effective exercise of in personam jurisdiction. Thill Securities Corporation v. New York Stock Exchange, 283 F.Supp. 239 (E.D. Wis. 1968); Wisconsin Metal & Chemical Corp. v. DeZurik Corp., 222 F.Supp. 119 (E.D.Wis. 1963).

Section 262.05 of the Wisconsin Statutes, commonly referred to as the long-arm statute, sets forth the general means of acquiring personal jurisdiction. Personal jurisdiction over these defendants can only be obtained by satisfying one of the tests set down in § 262.05 of the Wisconsin Statutes. Davis v. Mercier-Freres, 368 F.Supp. 498 (E.D.Wis. 1973); Bockorny v. Midnight Publishing Corp., 352 F.Supp. 1093 (E.D.Wis. 1972).

Wisconsin’s long-arm statute, § 262.-05(1) (d), provides that a court has jurisdiction over a person under the following circumstances:

“(1) local presence or status. In any action whether arising within or without this state, against a defendant who when the action is commenced:
* •>:- * *
“(d) Is engaged in substantial and not isolated activities within this state, whether such activities are wholly interstate, intrastate, or otherwise.”

The Wisconsin court in Travelers Insurance Co. v. George McArthur & Sons, 25 Wis.2d 197, 203, 130 N.W.2d 852, 854 (1964), explaining § 262.05(1)(d), held that the section “contemplates a requirement similar to that of ‘doing business’ within the State which requires not just an isolated contact, but ‘substantial activities’ which are ‘continuous and systematic.’ ” The jurisdictional fact required is local activity which is substantial and not isolated.

The motion of defendants Simplicity Engineering and Simplicity Limited is accompanied by affidavits of the general managers of both companies. The uncontradicted affidavits show that Ken[82]*82zler telephoned Simplicity Engineering in Michigan and ordered certain machines and equipment for the Canadian Bronze plant in Canada. Simplicity Engineering manufactured the machines in Michigan and shipped them to Simplicity Limited in Canada for final assembly and inspection. Simplicity Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Simplicity located in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Simplicity Limited then shipped the machines directly to the Canadian Bronze Company. No machines, equipment, or parts in connection with the order were ever shipped into the State of Wisconsin. No employees of either company were ever present within the state in connection with the transaction.

The affidavits further state that neither Simplicity Engineering nor Simplicity Limited is incorporated or licensed to do business in Wisconsin. Neither has offices, manufacturing facilities, real or personal property within the state. Neither company maintains telephone number listings or business directory listings in the State of Wisconsin.

In addition, it appears that' payment for the machinery and equipment involved was made in Canada and in Canadian money. The terms of the sale were f. o. b. at Simplicity Limited’s plant in Ontario, Canada.

The affidavits now before the court negate any suggestion that either Simplicity Engineering or Simplicity Limited had anything but minimal isolated activities in the State of Wisconsin, if they carried on any activity within the state at all. It is, therefore, held that the alleged contact with the forum state is not sufficient to give rise to personal jurisdiction under subsection (1) (d) of § 262.05 of the Wisconsin Statutes.

The defendant Kenzler also attempts to base jurisdiction upon § 262.-05(4) which provides as follows:

“262.05 Personal jurisdiction, grounds for generally. A court of this state having jurisdiction of the subject matter has jurisdiction over a person served in an action pursuant to § 262.06 under any of the following circumstances:
-x- ■>:■ -» -x- * *
“(4) Local injury; foreign act. In any action claiming injury to person or property within this state arising out of an act or omission outside this state by the defendant, provided in addition that at the time of the injury either:
“(a) Solicitation or service activities were carried on within this state by or on behalf of the defendant; or
“(b) Products, materials or things processed, serviced or manufactured by the defendant were used or consumed within this state in the ordinary course of trade.”

One of the jurisdictional elements required by this subsection is an injury to person or property within the state. Kenzler asserts that the injury of misdesign occurred in Wisconsin as a result of third party defendants’ out-of-state acts or omissions. However, while the misdesign could conceivably be said to have occurred in Wisconsin, the injury, if any, occurred in Canada where the equipment was installed. Misdesign was the alleged negligence and not the injury.

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Related

International Shoe Co. v. Washington
326 U.S. 310 (Supreme Court, 1945)
Hanson v. Denckla
357 U.S. 235 (Supreme Court, 1958)
Travelers Insurance Co. v. George McArthur & Sons
130 N.W.2d 852 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1964)
Davis v. Mercier-Freres
368 F. Supp. 498 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1973)
Thill Securities Corporation v. New York Stock Exchange
283 F. Supp. 239 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1968)
Bockorny v. Midnight Publishing Corporation
352 F. Supp. 1093 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1972)
Wisconsin Metal & Chemical Corp. v. DeZurik Corp.
222 F. Supp. 119 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1963)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 F.R.D. 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/canadian-bronze-co-v-kenzler-wied-1974.