Krabill v. Gibbs

235 N.E.2d 514, 14 Ohio St. 2d 1, 43 Ohio Op. 2d 1, 1968 Ohio LEXIS 408
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 27, 1968
DocketNos. 40955 and 40956
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 235 N.E.2d 514 (Krabill v. Gibbs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Krabill v. Gibbs, 235 N.E.2d 514, 14 Ohio St. 2d 1, 43 Ohio Op. 2d 1, 1968 Ohio LEXIS 408 (Ohio 1968).

Opinion

Schneidee, J.

Lillian Krabill and her husband, Ray, filed two actions on November 14, 1964, in the Tuscarawas Common Pleas Court arising out of an automobile accident on December 1, 1962, in which, as it has been stipulated, she received injuries caused by the negligence of Jeffrey L. Gibbs, who did not reach majority until March 29, 1965.

(From this point forward, in the interests of clarity, only case No. 40955 will be referred to. The record and issues in ease No. 40956 are substantially identical.)

[3]*3The summons issued pursuant to the filing of the suits commanded the sheriff “to notify Jeffrey L. Gibbs, a minor, 1228 Gorley Street, Uhrichsville, Ohio, and his father, Charles H. Gibbs, 1228 Gorley Street, Uhrichs-ville, Ohio, that Jeffrey L. Gibbs, a minor, has been sued

The Sheriff’s return recited personal service upon “Charles H. Gibbs, father of Jeffrey L. Gibbs, a minor,”-' and residence service upon “Jeffrey L. Gibbs, a minor,” with the further notation: ‘ ‘ (Defendant now in the U. S. Armed Forces).”

A motion directed to the petition to strike and to make definite and certain was filed on behalf of the defendant, that motion was sustained and an amended petition was' filed without further process — all within 60 days of December 1, 1964, the expiration date of the two-year statute of limitations. Appellant does not insist that the filing of the motion constituted a general appearance of Gibbs, the minor defendant.

' It might be noticed here, in passing, that even if Section 2309.261, Revised Code,1 had been in effect, the outcome of this case would not have been altered. The minority of Jeffrey L. Gibbs was clearly on the record in the first instance.

Not until April 30, 1965, fully 32 days after attaining majority, did the defendant file a motion to quash the process commenced November 14, 1964, making a special appearance for that purpose. Accompanying the motion was an affidavit of a deputy sheriff, the relevant portion of which reads:

“* * that on November 14, 1964, I received two -summons in the case No. 37145 and two summons in case No. 37146, both case[s] in the Tuscarawas Court of Common [4]*4Pleas, entitled Lillian B. Krabill vs. Jeffrey L. Gibbs and Ray B. Krabill vs. Jeffrey L. Gibbs; that in each of said cases, one summons was for service npon the minor defendant and one summons was for service upon Charles H. Gibbs, father of the defendant; that I instructed another deputy sheriff to make personal service of all four of said summons, that is, personally serve one of said summons in each case upon the defendant and one of said summons in each case upon the defendant’s father; that I was told by the deputy that he personally served the defendant’s father in each case with one summons intended for the defendant’s father; that the summons in each case intended for the minor defendant were not served upon the defendant and the deputy returned said summons to me; that on Nov. 19,196á, I personally mailed the summons intended for the minor defendant to Charles H. Gibbs, 1228 Gorley St., Uhrichsville, Ohio, by ordinary mail; no other summons was attempted to be served in either of these cases.” (Emphasis supplied.)

Pursuant to Section 2703.23, Revised Code,2 the Common Pleas Court of Tuscarawas County had, by rule, provided for service of writs of process by registered or certified mail only.3

[5]*5At this stage of the proceedings, assuming the truth of the facts related in the affidavit, it is clear that the record did not indicate valid service. Proof of delivery of the envelope was absent. (Appellant does not contend, and we would not be persuaded to hold, that where the rule of the local court, as here, does not permit the use of ordinary mail, the words, “or otherwise,” appearing in the phrase “by mail, registered or otherwise,” as used in the statute, would nevertheless sanction the use of ordinary mail and permit it to be “proof” of residence service.)

The question also arises whether the mailing of a summons intended for defendant in an envelope addressed to defendant’s father at the same address is sufficient to accomplish “residence service.”4

It becomes appropriate at this point to consider the objective of process (which term, as applied to this case, includes the summons, its issuance, its delivery and the return or report of the delivery) where jurisdiction of the court in personam is necessary to support a judgment against a party.

Historically, personal jurisdiction over a defendant [6]*6depended upon his physical capture by an officer of the court within the boundaries of its territory and his physi-' cal return to the presence of the magistrate.5 ‘ ‘ But now that the capias ad respondendum has given way to personal service of summons or other form of notice” (Mr. Chief Justice Stone in International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U. S. 310, 316, 90 L. Ed. 95, 102), the object of statutes regulating process against a person who is “present” within the territory of the court and over whom jurisdiction of that court in personam is sought or required to be obtained, is to give such notice as will in the nature of things most likely bring the attention of that person to the fact that an action has been instituted against him and that he has an opportunity to defend the same. See opinion of Taft, J., in Moriarty v. Westgate Center, Inc., 172 Ohio St. 402, at pages 407 and 408; opinion of Matthias, J., in Sours v. Dir. of Highways, 172 Ohio St. 242; and opinion of Zimmerman, J., in Maloney v. Callahan, 127 Ohio St. 387, at page 396.

It follows logically that, whereas, pursuant to a cap-ias, nothing short of the physical return of the party over whom personal jurisdiction was sought would be conclusive that jurisdiction had obtained, the return of the proceedings of officers and their deputies charged with the delivery of writs and summons is but prima facie evidence of those proceedings. Hence, the rule is that where process against a defendant appears on the face of the record to be regular, he may, nevertheless, by evidence aliunde the record show that a defect, irregularity or deviation from the statutory particulars has, in fact, occurred. Conner v. Miller, 154 Ohio St. 313; Hayes v. Kentucky Joint Stock Land Bank of Lexington, 125 Ohio St. 359; and Phillips v. Elwell, 14 Ohio St. 240.

Alternatively, where process against the defendant appears on the face of the record to be irregular, it may nevertheless be shown that no defect, irregularity or de[7]*7viation from statutory objectives bas, in fact, occurred. Paulin v. Sparrow, 91 Ohio St. 279.

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Bluebook (online)
235 N.E.2d 514, 14 Ohio St. 2d 1, 43 Ohio Op. 2d 1, 1968 Ohio LEXIS 408, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/krabill-v-gibbs-ohio-1968.