Fauchier v. McNeil Const. Co.

84 F. Supp. 574, 1949 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2708
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedMarch 30, 1949
DocketNo. 656
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 84 F. Supp. 574 (Fauchier v. McNeil Const. Co.) 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
Fauchier v. McNeil Const. Co., 84 F. Supp. 574, 1949 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2708 (D. Nev. 1949).

Opinion

FOLEY, District Judge.

Plaintiffs’ Complaint was filed August 26, 1947. Defendant McNeil Construction Co. moves to dismiss, or, in the alternative, for a more definite statement. [575]*575The Motion includes several defenses and objections as authorized by Rule 12 of Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A. Rule 12 has abolished for federal courts the age-old distinction between general and special appearances. Orange Theatre Corp. v. Rayherstz Amusement Corp., 3 Cir., 139 F.2d 871. The contentions of the defendant will be considered in the order in which they appear in the Motion.

Service of Process. Affidavits may be employed on motion to dismiss. Aralac, Inc., v. Hat Corporation of America, 3 Cir., 166 F.2d 286; Boro Hall Corporation v. General Motors Corporation, 2 Cir., 124 F.2d 822; Central Mexico Light & Power Co. v. Munch, 2 Cir., 116 F.2d 85. The affidavits of Leo A. McNamee and B. W. McNeil were attached to and served with the Motion to Dismiss.

The affidavit of Mr. McNamee contains the following:

“ * * * that the last designation of affiant as such resident agent was, in accordance with the law of the State of Nevada, for the period July 1, 1946, to July 1, 1947, and that such designation, together with affiant’s acceptance thereof, was duly filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada; that upon the expiration of said designation, to wit, July 1, 1947, and at all times since said date, affiant has not been appointed or otherwise authorized by said McNeil Construction Co. to act as resident agent upon whom process could be served, or otherwise, of said corporation in the State of Nevada; that at no time since, on or after said first day of July, 1947, has affiant acted as resident agent of said corporation, nor has affiant been, at any time since, on or after said first day of July, 1947, the resident agent in Nevada of said corporation upon whom process could be served, or otherwise; that at the time the representative of the United States Marshal’s office purported to serve affiant with a copy of summons and complaint in the above entitled action, to wit, on the 8tb day of September, 1947, affiant did state to said representative that affiant was not the resident agent of said McNeil Construction Co. upon whom process could be served, or otherwise.”

The affidavit of Mr. B. W. McNeil, among other things, states:

“That McNeil Construction Co. is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of California, and duly qualified to transact business in the State of Nevada on or about the 1st day of July, 1941- * * *
“That although legally authorized to transact and conduct business in the State of Nevada, until the first day of July, 1947, the McNeil Construction Co. has not in fact transacted or conducted business within the State of Nevada since on or about the month of July, 1943, except for work done by approximately a half dozen accountants for the McNeil Construction Co. within the State of Nevada, from on or about the said month of July, 1943, to on or about the 14th day of September, 1944, upon which latter date the work of such accountants ceased and the McNeil Construction Co. has not transacted or conducted any business operations within the State of Nevada since such date;
“ * * * that affiant is informed and believes and therefore states that each and all of the plaintiffs in the above entitled action are residents of the State of California.”

The Supreme Court of Washington in the case of Gerrick & Gerrick Co. v. Llewellyn Iron Works, 105 Wash. 98, 177 P. 692, 694, dealing with a situation somewhat like that in the present case held:

“[5] * * * the rule prevails that where the agent has ceased to act, either by reason of death, removal from the state, revocation of authority, or as in the instant case, abandonment of the agency by the mutual consent of both principal and agent, service upon an agent theretofore named, but no longer existent, would be inoperative to confer jurisdiction.”

The record discloses no formal revocation of Mr. McNamee’s designation as resident agent. No Nevada statute requiring such formal revocation or no decision of the Supreme Court of Nevada on the question here involved has been called to the [576]*576Court’s attention. In Forrest v. Pittsburgh Bridge Co., 7 Cir., 116 F. 357, 358, the Circuit Court of Appeals held:

“Subject to some criticism as to form and definiteness, the affidavits submitted show that, at the time of the alleged service of summons, Church did not, in fact, represent the Pittsburgh Bridge Company. This would dispose of the case, but for this argument: That a foreign corporation, having filed its certificate, in pursuance of the Illinois act naming a representative, continues to be suable in the state, by service on such named representative — irrespective of the corporation’s actual withdrawal from the state, or the actual cessation of the agency — until another certificate has been filed setting forth that the person named in the previous certificate is no longer the corporation’s representative.
“It would, perhaps, be competent, by apt legislation, to make this the law; but, in the absence of legislation to that end, we do not feel authorized to hold that a foreign corporation may be held to have been found in the state, when it, in fact, at the time, was not doing business in the state; or be held to be represented by an agent, who, in fact, held, at the time, no such agency. We find nothing in the Act of 1897 disclosing any such legislative intent; nor in the Act of 1899, though under certain penalties it provides for notice to the Secretary of State of any change in the name and address of the corporation’s agent, or representative.
“The manifest purpose of the amendment in the Act of 1899 was to require foreign corporations, doing business in the state, to give notice of any change in the name or address of its agent; but this does not imply that such corporation may not withdraw from business in the state without having given such notice. Under what conditions a foreign corporation may withdraw has not been made the subject-matter, so far as we are advised, of any legislation whatever.”

The purported service upon Leo A. Mc-Namee on the 8th day of September, 1947, was inoperative to confer jurisdiction and the defendant McNeil Construction Co. has not been properly served with process in this action.

On the Question of Venue. The affidavit of B. W. McNeil, above referred to, discloses that defendant McNeil Construction Co. has not transacted or conducted business within the State of Nevada since about the month of July, 1943, except for work done by approximately a half dozen accountants for the McNeil Construction Co. within the State of Nevada, which work ceased on or about September 14, 1944. The agency of Mr. Leo A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
84 F. Supp. 574, 1949 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2708, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fauchier-v-mcneil-const-co-nvd-1949.