Cawthon v. Cong Ty Co Phan Tap Doan Apec Viet Nam

Opinion

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK -----------------------------------------------------------X : SCOTT CAWTHORN, : : Plaintiff, : : 22-CV-7396 (VSB) -against- : : ORDER CONG TY CO PHAN TAP DOAN APEC : VIET NAM, : : Defendant. : : ---------------------------------------------------------- X

VERNON S. BRODERICK, United States District Judge: On August 30, 2022, Plaintiff commenced an action against Cong Ty Co Phan Tap Doan Apec Viet Nam. (Doc. 1.) Plaintiff asserts that defendant is a resident of Vietnam. (Doc. 1 at ¶ 3.) Thus, while the 90-day deadline for service under Fed. R. Civ. 4(m) has elapsed, this deadline does not apply to service on a foreign defendant “and the Federal Rules include no alternative deadline.” In re S. Afr. Apartheid Litig., 643 F. Supp. 2d 423, 433 (S.D.N.Y. 2009). However, failure to attempt service on a foreign defendant remains grounds for dismissal. See, e.g., USHA (India), Ltd. v. Honeywell Int’l, Inc., 421 F.3d 129, 134 (2d Cir. 2005). Thus, “when the foreign country exception does apply, the court uses a flexible due diligence standard to determine whether service of process was timely.” Astor Chocolate Corp. v. Elite Gold Ltd., 510 F. Supp. 3d 108, 123 (S.D.N.Y. 2020) (cleaned up). Accordingly, Plaintiff shall file a status letter stating their progress in effecting service on Defendant by January 9, 2023. SO ORDERED. Dated: | December 6, 2022 /} | | f New York, New York fk Ae, ER eet sn □ VERNON S. BRODERICK United States District Judge