El Paso & S. W. Co. v. Chisholm

180 S.W. 156, 1915 Tex. App. LEXIS 1038
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 11, 1915
DocketNo. 527.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 180 S.W. 156 (El Paso & S. W. Co. v. Chisholm) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
El Paso & S. W. Co. v. Chisholm, 180 S.W. 156, 1915 Tex. App. LEXIS 1038 (Tex. Ct. App. 1915).

Opinion

■ HIGGINS, J.

(after stating the facts as above). It is contended that, while the statutes of the state of Texas make the general manager the agent upon whom service of process may be had, yet, in the absence of an appointment by defendant, of such general manager as one upon whom service of process might be had, such statute is not valid or effective as to causes of action arising in another state against a foreign corporation ; that any judgment which might be rendered against the defendant in cause No. 12540 upon the cause of action therein asserted, which arose outside of the state and with service only upon a statutory agent, made such by the laws of the state of Texas, would not be due process of law under the Fourteenth Amendment to the federal Constitution. “No judgment of a court is due process of law if rendered without jurisdiction in the court, or without notice to the party.” Scott v. McNeal, 154 U. S. 34, 14 Sup. Ct. 1108, 38 L. Ed. 896; Old Wayne Mutual Life Association v. McDonough, 204 U. S. 8, 27 Sup. Ct. 236, 51 L. Ed. 345.

The question manifestly resolves itself into a consideration of whether the district court of El Paso county, in the state of Texas, has jurisdiction over the subject-matter and person of defendant in the suit filed by Chisholm.

In Railway Co. v. Sowers, 213 U. S. 55, 29 Sup. Ct. 397, 53 L. Ed. 695, Mr. Justice Day, delivering the opinion of the court in that case, said:

“An action for personal injuries is universally held to be transitory, and maintainable wherever a court may be found that has jurisdiction of the parties and the subject-matter.”

This principle of law is so well established that further citation of authority would be a matter of supererogation. So far as relates to the subject-matter, the Texas court indubitably has jurisdiction.

Under the facts established by the testimony of Hawks and Hawley, it can admit of no question, in our opinion, that jurisdiction of the party was likewise acquired by the service of process upon the general manager, Simmons. Article 1861, R. S., provides that in any suit against a foreign corporation citation or other process may be served on its president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, general manager, or any local agent within the state. The service upon Simmons is expressly authorized by this statute, and the authority of the state to so provide is abundantly supported by the court of last resort in such matters. The contention that it was essential to the validity of the service that appellant should have expressly authorized Simmons to receive service of process has been unequivocally repudiated. Mr. Justice Day, in Commercial Mutual Accident Co. v. Davis, 213 U. S. 245, 29 Sup. Ct. 445, 53 L. Ed. 782, says:

“It is not necessary that express authority to receive service of process be shown. The law of the state may designate an agent upon whom service may be made, if he be one sustaining such relation to the company that the state may designate him for that purpose, exercising legislative power within the lawful bounds of due process of law.”

To the same effect is Connecticut Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Spratley, 172 U. S. 602, 19 Sup. Ct. 308, 43 L. Ed. 569.

It would be a very difficult matter to formulate a definition of what constitutes doing business in a state by a foreign railroad corporation applicable in all instances, and the question may be best determined upon the facts arising in each case as it presents itself. Here from the testimony of Hawks and Hawley it is apparent that the company, through Simmons and its other officers and agents, was doing business in Texas. It appears that its managing officers and agents reside in El Paso county, maintain their offices there, there transact the *159 ■business of the company confided to them, and that such business is executive and departmental in its nature, is most important, and in every respect must be considered company business. Surely, this may safely be treated as doing business by the company in Texas. Railway Co. v. Alexander, 227 U. S. 218, 33 Sup. Ct. 245, 57 L. Ed. 486, Ann. Cas. 1915B, 77; Com. Mut. Acc. Co. v. Davis, 213 U. S. 245, 29 Sup. Ct. 445, 53 L. Ed. 782; Conn., etc., v. Spratley, 172 U. S. 602, 19 Sup. Ct. 308, 43 L. Ed. 569; Railway Co. v. Demere, 145 S. W. 623.

So it remains only to be determined whether the general manager in this case was such an agent as the state might lawfully designate as one upon whom service of process might be had. Upon this phase of the case it is settled that service of process upon foreign corporations doing business within the state may be had upon an agent who- there represents the corporation in its business (Peterson v. Railway Co., 205 U. S. 364, 27 Sup. Ct. 513, 51 L. Ed. 841; St. Clair v. Cox, 106 U. S. 350, 1 Sup. Ct. 354, 27 L. Ed. 222; Goldey v. Morning News, 156 U. S. 518, 15 Sup. Ct. 559, 39 L. Ed. 517; Conley v. Mathieson Alkali Works, 190 U. S. 406, 23 Sup. Ct. 728, 47 L. Ed. 1113; Railway Co. v. Cox [Sup.] 157 S. W. 745); and, as has been seen, appellant was doing business in this state, and in the transaction ¡of its business was represented by its general manager, Simmons, who had his residence and business office in the county where the suit was brought. Service upon Simmons was sufficient (Railway Co. v. Alexander; Com. Mut. Acc. Co. v. Davis; Conn., etc., v. Spratley; Railway Co. v. Demere—all supra).

It thus follows that the court had jurisdiction of the subject-matter and parties, and the injunction against the prosecution of the suit was properly dissolved.

Appellant insists that the rules of law and decisions to which we have adverted have been overruled by the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in the recent case of Simon v. Southern Ry. Co., 236 U. S. 115, 35 Sup. Ct. 255, 59 L. Ed.

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Bluebook (online)
180 S.W. 156, 1915 Tex. App. LEXIS 1038, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/el-paso-s-w-co-v-chisholm-texapp-1915.