Leonardo Da Vinci's Horse, Inc. v. O'BRIEN

761 F. Supp. 1222, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4649, 1991 WL 57921
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 5, 1991
DocketCiv. A. 87-7420
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 761 F. Supp. 1222 (Leonardo Da Vinci's Horse, Inc. v. O'BRIEN) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leonardo Da Vinci's Horse, Inc. v. O'BRIEN, 761 F. Supp. 1222, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4649, 1991 WL 57921 (E.D. Pa. 1991).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

TROUTMAN, Senior District Judge.

Currently before the Court is the motion of defendant Bruton Gallery, Inc., pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(2) to Dismiss Amended Complaint for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction or in the Alternative Motion to Transfer Venue, 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a). For the reasons that follow, the Motion to Dismiss will be denied, and the Motion to Transfer Venue will also be denied.

I. Background.

The above captioned case was brought by Leonardo Da Vinci’s Horse, Inc., a nonprofit corporation based in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. “The purpose of the corporation is to fund and build a heroic bronze equestrian statue, originally commissioned in 1482 to be built by Leonardo Da Vinci in Milan, Italy.” Plaintiffs Pre-Trial Memorandum (Doc. # 9), at 1. The statue is to be given to the people and City of Milan as a gift. Id. at 2. As part of its effort to raise money for the venture, plaintiff allegedly entered into an agreement with defendants O’Brien, Reichenbach, and T & A Arts Ltd., (“original defendants”) for the consignment sale of “Le Penseur” (“The Thinker”), a fifteen inch tall bronze statue by Auguste Rodin. The authority granted under the consignment agreement provided that the statue was to be sold for at least $70,000. Amended Complaint at ¶ 6. The original defendants sold the statue to defendant Bruton Gallery, a New York based seller of art, for a “bargain basement” price which was less than provided in the consignment agreement. Amended Complaint, at ¶¶ 18-19. The statue was later re-sold by the Bruton Gallery to a foreign buyer at a substantial profit. Id.; Cantor Supplemental Affidavit (Attached to Doc. # 29) at fl 6.

It is alleged in the amended complaint at H 19, that, inter alia, the Bruton Gallery acted unreasonably in that it paid a “bargain basement” price such that it knew or should have known the statue was stolen or that proper authority under the consignment agreement was lacking; did not ascertain the true identities of the other defendants and the scope of their authority to sell the statue; and despite learning the identity of the owner, failed to contact the owner regarding the sale. The amended complaint, at ¶ 26, also alleges that the Bruton Gallery willfully and maliciously converted the statue and the proceeds for its own benefit. The plaintiff seeks to recover the amount of the statue’s selling price, less any amounts defendants have already paid, or the return of the statue.

The Bruton Gallery filed the above mentioned motion to dismiss on September 28, 1989. On January 12, 1990, by Order of the Court, plaintiff was “granted leave to conduct discovery for the limited purpose of determining whether this Court has personal jurisdiction over Defendant Bruton Gallery, Inc.” Order filed January 22, 1990 (Doc. # 24). The same Order also granted plaintiff thirty days in which to respond to the instant motion to dismiss, with 10 days thereafter for defendant to respond. Subsequently, plaintiff was given an enlargement of time in which to file its response, Order of the Court entered April 23, 1990, and the response was filed.

II. Motion to Dismiss.

A. Legal Standards Controlling Personal Jurisdiction.

For this Court to exercise jurisdiction of the defendant, it must have “personal jurisdiction” over the defendant. A United States District Court may exercise jurisdiction pursuant to the law of the State in which the District Court sits. Fed.R.Civ.P. 4(e). The Pennsylvania Long Arm Statute, 42 Pa.Con.Stat.Ann. § 5322(a)(4), allows for jurisdiction over a defendant “[c]ausing harm or tortious injury in this Commonwealth by an act or omission outside this Commonwealth.” Section 5322(b) further provides for jurisdiction to the fullest extent allowed by, and consistent with, the Constitution of the United States. See also, Time Share Vacation Club v. Atlantic Resorts, Ltd., 735 F.2d 61 (3d Cir.1984); *1225 National Mortgage Network v. Home Equity Centers, 683 F.Supp. 116 (E.D.Pa.1988).

Personal jurisdiction is constitutional so long as the defendant had minimum contacts with the forum state and exercise of jurisdiction would not “offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.” International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 316, 66 S.Ct. 154, 158, 90 L.Ed. 95 (1945) (citations omitted). The Supreme Court recently reaffirmed that the constitutional test for personal jurisdiction “remains whether the defendant purposefully established minimum contacts in the forum State.” Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462, 474, 105 S.Ct. 2174, 2183, 85 L.Ed.2d 528 (1985); Asahi Metal Industry Co., Ltd. v. Superior Court of California, 480 U.S. 102, 108-109, 107 S.Ct. 1026, 1030, 94 L.Ed.2d 92 (1987).

Minimum contacts analysis looks only to the acts of the defendant. Keeton v. Hustler Magazine, Inc., 465 U.S. 770, 779, 104 S.Ct. 1473, 1480, 79 L.Ed.2d 790 (1984). The proper focus for minimum contacts analysis is “the relationship among the defendant, the forum, and the litigation.” Shaffer v. Heitner, 433 U.S. 186, 204, 97 S.Ct. 2569, 2580, 53 L.Ed.2d 683 (1977). Once minimum contacts are shown, “often the interests of the plaintiff and the forum in the exercise of jurisdiction will justify even the serious burdens placed on the alien defendant.” Asahi Metal Industry Co., 480 U.S. at 114, 107 S.Ct. at 1033.

When a defendant has minimum contacts with a state, the state has an interest in providing a forum to residents injured by the actions of non-residents. See, Pennsylvania Long Arm Statute, supra. A state may, therefore, “exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident who ‘purposefully directs’ his activities toward forum residents.” Burger King Corp., 471 U.S. at 473, 105 S.Ct. at 2182. When a non-resident “purposefully directs” activities at a state, “he should reasonably anticipate being haled into court there.” World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286, 297, 100 S.Ct. 559, 567, 62 L.Ed.2d 490 (1980); Burger King Corp., 471 U.S. at 474, 105 S.Ct. at 2183.

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Bluebook (online)
761 F. Supp. 1222, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4649, 1991 WL 57921, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leonardo-da-vincis-horse-inc-v-obrien-paed-1991.