McMahan v. Grasshopper

Arizona Supreme Court·Decided July 30, 2026·No. CV-25-0287-PR·Published·Ann Scott Timmer

Opinion

IN THE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA

BRANDON L. MCMAHAN, AN INDIVIDUAL, Petitioner,

v.

GRASSHOPPER TRANS, INC., AN ILLINOIS CORPORATION., Respondent.

No. CV-25-0287-PR Filed July 30, 2026

Petition for Special Action from the Superior Court in Maricopa County The Honorable Christopher Whitten, Judge The Honorable Richard Albrecht, Commissioner No. CV2024-003517

AFFIRMED

Opinion of the Court of Appeals, Division One 260 Ariz. 521 (App. 2025)

VACATED

COUNSEL:

Sean P. Healy, Kristian E. Nelson (argued), Joseph Hubble, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, Phoenix, Attorneys for Grasshopper Trans, Inc.

David L. Abney (argued), Ahwatukee Legal Office, P.C., Phoenix; and Isidore Yetnikoff, Yetnikoff Law Offices, PLLC, Scottsdale, Attorneys for Brandon L. McMahan McMAHAN V. GRASSHOPPER Opinion of the Court

CHIEF JUSTICE TIMMER authored the Opinion of the Court, in which VICE CHIEF JUSTICE LOPEZ, JUSTICES BOLICK, BEENE, MONTGOMERY, KING, and CRUZ joined.

CHIEF JUSTICE TIMMER, Opinion of the Court:

¶1 Brandon L. McMahan did not properly serve the summons and complaint in his personal injury action against Grasshopper Trans, Inc. (“Grasshopper”). Before Grasshopper appeared in the action, McMahan obtained an entry of default. We consider whether Grasshopper’s conduct after the default was entered waived the service defect as a basis for setting it aside. We hold that it did not.

BACKGROUND

¶2 In February 2023, a tractor trailer collided with safety barricades at a construction site and drove away. The barricades struck and injured McMahan, who was working at the site. The following year, McMahan sued the tractor trailer’s owner, Grasshopper, an Illinois corporation, seeking damages for the driver’s negligence.

¶3 On March 6, 2024, McMahan attempted to serve Grasshopper’s Illinois-based statutory agent, Ljubisa Srejovic, by leaving a copy of the complaint with his assistant, Sladana Bojic, at Srejovic’s office. Bojic sent the complaint to Grasshopper that day. But Bojic was not authorized to accept service on Grasshopper’s behalf.

¶4 On April 15, 2024, McMahan applied for entry of default pursuant to Arizona Rule of Civil Procedure 55 because Grasshopper failed to file an answer or otherwise respond to the complaint. Grasshopper did not respond within the applicable period, and the default purportedly became effective on April 29. See Ariz. R. Civ. P. 55(a)(1) (providing that the entry of default becomes effective ten days after the application is filed unless the defendant files a pleading or otherwise defends against the complaint); Ariz. R. Civ. P. 6(a)(2) (excluding intermediate Saturdays,

2 McMAHAN V. GRASSHOPPER Opinion of the Court

Sundays, and legal holidays for computing time periods less than eleven days).

¶5 On May 21, McMahan moved for entry of default judgment. Several weeks later, on June 11, Grasshopper answered the complaint and denied owning the tractor trailer that hit the barricades. Grasshopper raised insufficiency of service of process as a potential affirmative defense, depending on further factual development.

¶6 On July 9 and again on August 21, Grasshopper unsuccessfully moved to set aside the entry of default under Rules 55(c) and 60(b)(1), respectively. See Ariz. R. Civ. P. 55(c) (authorizing a court to set aside an entry of default for good cause); Ariz. R. Civ. P. 60(b)(1) (authorizing relief from an order based on excusable neglect). Notably, Grasshopper repeatedly acknowledged in these filings that it had been “served” on March 6.

¶7 On February 19, 2025, Grasshopper moved for reconsideration, arguing for the first time that McMahan’s failure to properly serve the complaint constituted good cause to set aside the entry of default under Rule 55(c). At the superior court’s direction, Grasshopper recast its motion as one under Rule 60(b)(4), which authorizes relief from a void judgment, even though a judgment had not yet been entered. The court granted the Rule 60(b)(4) motion and vacated the entry of default. It reasoned that because McMahan had not properly served Grasshopper, the entry of default was void, and Grasshopper neither had nor could have waived its challenge to the order.

¶8 The court of appeals accepted special action jurisdiction and granted relief, vacating the superior court’s order granting the Rule 60(b)(4) motion. See McMahan v. Grasshopper Trans, Inc., 260 Ariz. 521, 529 ¶ 36 (App. 2025). It concluded that Grasshopper waived its objection to defective service by failing to raise it in a motion to dismiss or in its answer, voluntarily appearing in the action, and repeatedly acknowledging that it had been served. See id. at 525 ¶ 20, 526–27 ¶¶ 24–25. The court recognized that, “even after a judgment becomes final, a party may ‘challenge a judgment on the ground that it is void for lack of jurisdiction of the parties.’” Id. at 527 ¶ 29 (quoting Preston v. Denkins, 94 Ariz. 214, 219 (1963)). But it concluded that the entry of default was not void for lack of personal jurisdiction. See id. ¶¶ 29–30. In the court’s view, Grasshopper waived its jurisdictional defense by appearing and defending the action

3 McMAHAN V. GRASSHOPPER Opinion of the Court

without first raising the insufficient service defense. See id. The court also reasoned that Grasshopper had held Bojic out as authorized to accept service by repeatedly representing to the superior court that McMahan had served the complaint through Bojic on March 6, 2024. See id.

¶9 We granted Grasshopper’s petition for review to decide whether it waived the right to challenge the entry of default under the circumstances here, an issue of statewide importance. We have jurisdiction pursuant to article 6, section 5(3) of the Arizona Constitution.

DISCUSSION

¶10 We review a ruling on a motion to set aside an entry of default for an abuse of discretion. See DeHoney v. Hernandez, 122 Ariz. 367, 371 (1979). But we review de novo all legal questions encompassed within that ruling, including whether the court acquired personal jurisdiction before entering the default, whether Grasshopper waived its objection concerning service of process, and whether the superior court’s entry of default constituted a void order. See 4QTKIDZ, LLC v. HNT Holdings, LLC, 253 Ariz. 382, 385 ¶ 5 (2022); Ruffino v. Lokosky, 245 Ariz. 165, 168 ¶¶ 9–10 (App. 2018); In re 2000 Peterbilt Tractor & Trailer, WA LIC: 19601RP, VIN: 1XPSD69X2YD479117, 240 Ariz. 450, 452 ¶ 6 (App. 2016). We accept the court’s factual findings unless they are clearly erroneous. See Ruffino, 245 Ariz. at 168 ¶ 9.

A. McMahan Did Not Properly Serve The Summons And Complaint On Grasshopper

¶11 McMahan was required to serve the summons and complaint on Grasshopper by delivering a copy to “a managing or general agent, or any other agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service of process.” See Ariz. R. Civ. P. 4.2(h) (governing service on a corporation located in the United States but outside Arizona). His process server attempted to serve Grasshopper’s statutory agent, Srejovic, but instead delivered the documents to her assistant, Bojic. According to an affidavit signed by Grasshopper’s owner and managing principal, Bojic was not an officer, director, or managing agent of Grasshopper; Grasshopper had not appointed her to accept service on its behalf; and Grasshopper had not held her out as authorized to do so. Rather, Srejovic alone served as Grasshopper’s statutory agent.

4 McMAHAN V. GRASSHOPPER Opinion of the Court

¶12 McMahan concedes he did not properly serve Grasshopper on March 6, 2024, by delivering the summons and complaint to Bojic, and we agree.

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