Dawkins v. White Products Corp.

317 F. Supp. 53, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10326
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Mississippi
DecidedSeptember 8, 1970
DocketNo. EC 70-30
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 317 F. Supp. 53 (Dawkins v. White Products Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dawkins v. White Products Corp., 317 F. Supp. 53, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10326 (N.D. Miss. 1970).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ORMA R. SMITH, District Judge.

This action was originally filed in the Circuit Court of Winston County, Mississippi against White Products Corporation of Middleville, Michigan, and Therm-O-Disc, Inc. Plaintiffs have attempted to acquire jurisdiction in Mississippi of both defendants under Mississippi’s “Long Arm” Statute, Miss.Code 1942, Ann. § 1437 (Supp.1968) by contending that both defendant corporations have been doing business in Mississippi but have not qualified to do so.

This action was subsequently removed to this court and on May 28, 1970 plaintiffs amended their declaration to allege that not only have defendants been doing business in Mississippi but have committed a tort, in whole or in part, within the state within the meaning of Miss.Code 1942, Ann. § 1437 (Supp.1968).

On May 4, 1970 defendant Therm-O-Disc, Inc., a nonresident corporation of the State of Mississippi, filed a Motion To Dismiss on two grounds: (1) that the court lacks jurisdiction in that at no time did defendant Therm-O-Disc, either in person or by agent, servant or employee, or by doing business or making of any contract or committing of any tort or the performing of any character of work or service in the State of Mississippi, appoint the Secretary of State of the State of Mississippi to be its true and lawful attorney, or agent upon whom process or summons could be served; and (2) that the complaint fails to state [55]*55a claim against defendant upon which relief can be granted.

On May 12, 1970 defendant Lamb Industries, Inc. filed a Motion To Dismiss alleging the same two grounds but additionally adding the following grounds: (1) that the action should be dismissed as to defendant White Products Corporation of Middleville, Michigan because there was no such corporation known as White Products Corporation in that it was dissolved several years ago; (2) that this action should be dismissed as to Lamb Industries, Inc. in that this action is barred by the Mississippi Statute of Limitation.

Plaintiffs seek damages as a result of a water heater exploding in their cafe in the amount of $15,265.43, together with interest and all costs. Plaintiffs allege that said water heater was manufactured by defendant White Products Corporation of Middleville, Michigan, and in constructing said water heater utilized a defective thermostat manufactured by defendant Therm-O-Disc, Inc.

It appears from the affidavits of Edward Lamb and W. R. Lichota that in October of 1953 a Michigan corporation was formed under the name of Thornapple Corporation and in February of 1954 the said Thornapple Corporation changed its name to White Products Corporation. In August of 1965 the name of the corporation was again changed to Barry Corporation. In July of 1967 the said Barry Corporation was dissolved and has not existed as a corporation since July 11, 1967. Lamb Industries, Inc. owned all of the corporate stock of the above said Michigan Corporation.

The record shows that plaintiffs owned a cafe building and eating establishment which was constructed in the month of January of 1963 at which time the alleged defective water heater was installed in the above said cafe. The record does not show who purchased the water heater or where the contract was consummated. There is no indication that either defendant Corporation had any contact with the State of Mississippi or with any person, agent or employee therein.

It appears that the water heater was constructed in Michigan by defendant White Products Corporation utilizing a thermostat manufactured by Therm-O-Disc, Inc. and sold to defendant White Products Corporation.

Apparently plaintiffs base their contention on Mississippi Code 1942, Annotated § 1437, as Amended, which provides that if any non-resident corporation not qualified to do business in Mississippi commits a tort, in whole or in part, in this state against a resident of this state, then lawful process may be served upon the Secretary of State of the State of Mississippi, and such service shall be of the same legal force and effect as if served on the nonresident at its principal place of business in the state where it is incorporated and according to the law of the state.

The court is of the opinion that this court does not have jurisdiction over either corporate defendant herein, and that this cause should be dismissed without prejudice as to said defendants.

At first blush, it appears that for this court to retain jurisdiction over the corporate defendants would not violate any due process requirement for substituted service under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This position is buttressed by the opinion of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in the case of Eyerly Aircraft Co. v. Killian.1 This case involved a minor child who was seriously injured in a fall from an amusement ride in Dallas, Texas. The ride in question was manufactured by an Oregon corporation approximately twenty years prior to the accident and from there indirectly peregrinated to Texas through interstate commerce.

The two main issues before the court was whether the assertion of the Texas “Long Arm” jurisdiction in this [56]*56diversity action was consistent with due process, and, if so whether the specific measurements of the Texas “Long Arm” statute reached as far as the constitution permitted it to do. The court, speaking through Judge Goldberg, said:

“Where a nonresident corporation engages in a single isolated transaction in a state and a tort claim arises out of that activity, the state may assert jurisdiction over the nonresident corporation without contravening due process.”2

The court also went on to hold that the Texas “Long Arm” statute was as broad as constitutional limits would permit, and held:

“When construing a state ‘Long Arm’ statute, a federal court in a diversity case is required under the doctrine of Erie R. R. Co. v. Tompkins, 1933, 304 U.S. 64, 58 S.Ct. 817, 82 L.Ed. 1188, to give the statute the same construction as would the highest court of that state. Walker v. Savell, 5 Cir. 1964, 335 F.2d 536, 540.”3

With the due process issue settled this court must now look at the Mississippi’s “Long Arm” statute to see if it too stretches as far as the constitution permits.

This court is inclined to follow the interpretation by Judge Walter L. Nixon, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi, as to the breadth of Mississippi’s “Long Arm” statute. Judge Nixon discussed fully the extent to which the Mississippi Supreme Court has extended Section 1437 as read in conjunction with Mississippi Code 1942, Ann., § 5345, dealing with jurisdiction over foreign corporations “doing business” in the State of Mississippi in the case of Easterling v. Volkswagen of America, Inc.4

The Easterling case involved a suit by a resident of Mississippi seeking damages from the defendants for personal injuries and property damages sustained by plaintiff in the wreckage of her 1960 Volkswagen, alleging a breach of warranty and negligence in construction. After extensive discussion in which the court followed the Fifth Circuit decision in Eyerly,

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Related

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446 F. Supp. 342 (N.D. Mississippi, 1977)
M. C. Edwards v. The Associated Press
512 F.2d 258 (Fifth Circuit, 1975)
Moore v. Central Louisiana Electric Co.
257 So. 2d 702 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1972)
Alford v. Whitsel
322 F. Supp. 358 (N.D. Mississippi, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
317 F. Supp. 53, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10326, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dawkins-v-white-products-corp-msnd-1970.