Gill v. Gill

152 N.W.2d 309, 277 Minn. 166, 1967 Minn. LEXIS 923
CourtSupreme Court of Minnesota
DecidedJune 30, 1967
Docket40464
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 152 N.W.2d 309 (Gill v. Gill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gill v. Gill, 152 N.W.2d 309, 277 Minn. 166, 1967 Minn. LEXIS 923 (Mich. 1967).

Opinion

Nelson, Justice.

This appeal involves a divorce action in which the summons was served upon defendant-husband, Raymond S. Gill, by publication. Plaintiff, Mary A. Gill, the appellant herein, obtained an order for publication based on her affidavit that defendant was secreting himself within the state to avoid personal service. Her affidavit stated:

“That although your affiant knows that defendant is living somewhere in the Minneapolis area, she has no knowledge as to his place of residence or the nature of his employment, if any. Defendant makes phone calls to your affiant on infrequent occasions but refuses to disclose same.

“That your affiant has informed defendant of the institution of this action and the necessity of serving papers for commencement thereof, but despite the fact that defendant expresses no desire to contest the suit, *167 he is disinclined to reveal his whereabouts for fear of being ‘locked up’. Acting under the advice of counsel, your affiant has endeavored to explain the situation to defendant in the hopes of dispelling his apprehensions but such efforts have been to no avail.

“That both your affiant and her attorneys have spoken with defendant’s parents making similar explanations to them for the purpose of locating defendant but again without result, the reason being that ‘he is not a criminal’.

“That by reason of the foregoing, defendant is willfully concealing himself within the state for the purpose of evading service of process and your affiant knows of no way of effecting such service except by publication pursuant to statutory provision therefor.”

Defendant did not appear personally or through an attorney, the only service of process being substitute service by publication pursuant to Rule 4.04(3), Rules of Civil Procedure, which provides for such service “[w]hen the action is for divorce or separate maintenance and the court shall have ordered that service be made by published notice.”

After trial the district court found that the facts stated in the affidavit for publication were consistent with the testimony offered at the trial; that defendant was secreting himself within the state to avoid personal service; and that plaintiff was entitled to an absolute divorce and to the custody of the parties’ minor children. However, the court specifically reserved awarding support and alimony “until such time as this Court shall have personal jurisdiction over the defendant.”

Plaintiff’s appeal is limited to one question: Whether the trial court has jurisdiction to award alimony and support where service of process is made by publication pursuant to a court order based upon an affidavit of the plaintiff stating that defendant is a resident but is secreting himself within the state to avoid personal service.

The question whether such a service confers jurisdiction to render a personal judgment for alimony was directly decided in this state in Roberts v. Roberts, 135 Minn. 397, 161 N. W. 148, L. R. A. 1917C, 1140. As was said in the Roberts case, it is well settled that a personal judgment or decree for alimony rendered in a divorce case against a nonresident where the only service is by publication is void everywhere and the rule *168 is the same in any action is personam where the defendant is a nonresident, the service is by publication, and no property within the state is seized. It is equally clear that an attempted service by publication upon a resident defendant who is personally present within the state and can be found therein confers no jurisdiction to render a personal judgment, because not due process of law. In Bardwell v. Collins, 44 Minn. 97, 46 N. W. 315, 9 L. R. A. 152, 20 A. S. R. 547, the defendant was a resident of this state, personally within it, and could be found therein, and a statute purporting to authorize service upon such persons by publication was held unconstitutional. However, the opinion of Mr. Justice Mitchell in the Bardwell case clearly recognizes the validity of statutes authorizing service by publication against defendants who could not be found within the jurisdiction, either because of nonresidence or because they have absconded or concealed themselves to avoid the service of process.

Mr. Justice Bunn, in Roberts v. Roberts, 135 Minn. 397, 400, 161 N. W. 148, 149, L. R. A. 1917C, 1140, said:

“* * * There is nothing in any case in this state that denies that such a service [by publication when a resident defendant conceals himself within the state to avoid personal service] is due process of law and confers jurisdiction in an action in personam, or to render a personal judgment in an action in rem. It seems to us that statutes authorizing service by publication in such cases, are well within the power of the state to legislate as to its own citizens, and that, on principle and the weight of authority, a duly-authorized service by publication on a defendant in a divorce action who is a resident of and within the state, but cannot be found therein because he conceals himself to avoid the service of process, confers jurisdiction to render a personal judgment for alimony. The exact question is discussed at length in the note to Raher v. Raher, [150 Iowa 511, 129 N. W. 494] 35 L. R. A. (N.S.) 292, where the cases are cited and discussed, with a conclusion in accord with that we have here reached. This note taken in connection with the note to Stallings v. Stallings [127 Ga. 464, 56 S. E. 469, 9 L. R. A. (N.S.) 593] and the note to Pinney v. Providence Loan & Investment Co. [106 Wis. 396, 82 N. W. 308] 50 L. R. A. 577, contains such a full and complete review and analysis of *169 the cases that we find it unnecessary to cite or further discuss them here, or to elaborate the view we have expressed.”

Thus, in substance, the Roberts case holds (135 Minn. 397, 161 N. W. 148):

“A personal judgment or decree for alimony rendered in a divorce case against a nonresident of the state where the only service is by publication of the summons, is void, as is such a judgment rendered where the defendant is a resident of this state and can be found therein and the only service is by publication. But where the defendant is a resident of this state, but cannot be found therein, because he secretes himself within the state so service cannot well be made, the court acquires jurisdiction, on a service of publication only, to render a personal judgment for alimony.”

In order for the Roberts case to be presently binding in this court, the Minnesota statutes under which the Roberts case was decided must be similar in content to Rule 4.04, Rules of Civil Procedure, and the holding must not transgress present-day concepts of due process.

The first Minnesota publication statute, G. S. 1866, c. 66, § 49, provided in part:

“When the defendant cannot be found within the state [as evidenced by a sheriff’s return and the affidavit of plaintiff] * * * such court, or judge, may grant an order that the service be made by the publication of the summons in either of the following cases:—

‡ * 4: if: %

“Second.

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Bluebook (online)
152 N.W.2d 309, 277 Minn. 166, 1967 Minn. LEXIS 923, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gill-v-gill-minn-1967.