Miller v. Hano

8 F.R.D. 67, 1947 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1782
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 23, 1947
DocketNo. 7192
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 8 F.R.D. 67 (Miller v. Hano) 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
Miller v. Hano, 8 F.R.D. 67, 1947 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1782 (E.D. Pa. 1947).

Opinion

WELSH, District Judge.

This is a motion by the third-party defendants to dismiss the third-party action, to vacate the order adding them as third-party defendants, and to quash the returns of service.

The original plaintiffs brought suit under the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C.A. § 77a et seq., against the original defendants for alleged losses incurred on account of misrepresentations contained in the Registration Statement of the Globe Aircraft Corporation in which plaintiffs had purchased preferred stock. The original defendants, Lester Hano et al., and Gearhart & Company, were the underwriters of the preferred shares issued by the Globe Aircraft Corporation and the individual defendant, Frederick Gearhart, was the person named in the Registration Statement who was about to become a director of the Globe Aircraft Corporation. The defendants, Lester Hano et ah, moved under Rule 14 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A. following section 723c, to bring in as third-party defendants the various directors and officers of the Globe Aircraft Corporation. Pursuant to leave [69]*69granted, third-party complaints were filed against the third-party defendants and copies of the summons, the complaint and third-party complaint were served upon each of the third-party defendants outside the territorial limits of Pennsylvania—all being served in Texas with the exception of one who was served in California. All of the third-party defendants have moved to dismiss on the grounds that there is improper venue and no jurisdiction over the persons of the third-party defendants.

I. Rule 4(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure deals with the territorial limitations on service of process and provides that “all process other than a subpoena may be served anywhere within the territorial limits of the state in which the district court is held and, when a statute of the United States so provides, beyond the territorial limits of that state.” It is evident from a reading of the Rule that it does not permit the service of process outside the state in which the district court is held in the absence of some statutory authority for such service. This conclusion was reached by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Orange Theatre Corporation v. Rayherstz Amusement Corporation, 1944, 139 F.2d 871. In that case, a plaintiff sued a corporation and its directors in the district court of New Jersey for violation of the Anti-Trust Laws, 15 U.S.C.A. § 1 et seq. The directors were served with process in New York and motions to quash the service and to dismiss the complia,int as to the directors were affirmed on the ground that the service of process in New York did not confer upon the court jurisdiction over the persons of the directors. See also, Blank v. Bitker, 7 Cir., 1943, 135 F.2d 962 and Howard v. United States, 10 Cir., 1942, 126 F.2d 667.

2. It has been held that the limitations contained in Rule 4(f) are applicable to the service of a third-party summons and complaint as well as to the service of the original summons and complaint. F. & M. Skirt Co. v. Wimpfheimer & Bro. D.C. Mass.1939, 27 F.Supp. 239; Thompson v. Temple Cotton Oil Company, D.C.W.D. Ark.1942, 2 F.R.D. 373. In F. & M. Skirt Co. v. Wimpfheimer, supra, the defendant in an action brought in the district court of Massachusetts for breach of warranty sought to join a Rhode Island Corporation .as a third-party defendant. A motion of the Rhode Island Corporation to quash the third-party summons and vacate the service was granted by the court on the ground that the service in Rhode Island did not comply with the provisions of Rule 4(f).

3. It is contended that -a third-party action is ancillary to the original action and that jurisdictional requirements need not be complied with in the third-party action. However, it is the opinion of this court that the cases cited in support of the contention have no application in the instant case, for it will be observed that the cases deal with the question of jurisdiction of the court over the subject matter and not with the question of jursidiction over the person which is before the court at this time. None of the cases is authority for the proposition that the requirements as to service of process need not be satisfied in third-party actions.

It is interesting to note that the view expressed by us in connection with the ancillary approach to third-party actions are in accord with those expressed by Professor Moore in his work on Federal Practice. Professor Moore supports the view that the third-party action is ancillary to the original suit and that the requirements as to jurisdiction and venue need not be complied with in the third-party action. However, Professor Moore’s discussion is limited to jurisdiction of the court over the subject matter apd does not extend to service of process and jurisdiction over the person. On this latter point, he states: “In the latter instance (diversity of citizenship) the venue of the suit may be that of either plaintiff or defendant, and the only protections afforded to the non-resident defendant are the requirements surrounding the service of process. And in the case of both the third-party proceedings and the original suit, the territorial limits of process are governed by Rule 4(f).”

4. It is plain from the foregoing discussion that the extraterritorial service which [70]*70was made upon the third-party defendants is not authorized by the provisions of Rule 4(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, but it is argued additionally that it is authorized by Section 22(a.) of the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C.A. § 77v (a). That Section provides: “The district courts of the United States, the United States courts of any Territory, and the district court of tbe United States for the District of Columbia shall have jurisdiction of offenses and violations under this title and under the rules and regulations promulgated b3r the Commission in respect thereto, and, concurrent with State and Territorial courts, of all suits in equity and actions at law brought to enforce any liability or duty created by this subchapter. Any such suit or action may be brought in the district wherein the defendant is found or is an inhabitant or transacts business, or in the district where the sale took place, if the defendant participated therein, and process in such cases may be served in any other district of which the defendant is an inhabitant or wherever the defendant may be found.”

From the above quoted language it is clear that the service of process outside the territorial boundaries of Pennsylvania which was made upon the third-party defendants in the instant case is authorized provided the venue requirement of the Section is satisfied. On the latter point, we need only concern ourselves with the venue requirement relating to an “action [which] may be brought in the district * * * where the sale took place, if the defendant participated therein.” The foregoing venue requirement is met if two conditions exist, i.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Dyer v. Eastern Trust and Banking Company
336 F. Supp. 890 (D. Maine, 1971)
Klapmeier v. Telecheck International, Inc.
315 F. Supp. 1360 (D. Minnesota, 1970)
Lyons v. Marrud, Inc.
8 A.L.R. Fed. 503 (S.D. New York, 1968)
Goodwin Bros. v. Preferred Risk Mutual Insurance Co.
410 S.W.2d 714 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1967)
Lester v. Preco Industries, Inc.
282 F. Supp. 459 (S.D. New York, 1965)
Walters v. Boyd
187 F. Supp. 479 (S.D. Texas, 1960)
Schwartz v. Bowman
156 F. Supp. 361 (S.D. New York, 1957)
Pasternack v. Dalo
17 F.R.D. 420 (W.D. Pennsylvania, 1955)
Overlander v. Mellon
10 F.R.D. 131 (D. Nebraska, 1950)
Johnson v. Scarborough
88 F. Supp. 523 (S.D. Texas, 1949)
Howell v. Gray
9 F.R.D. 544 (D. Nebraska, 1949)
Goodard v. Shasta S. S. Co.
9 F.R.D. 12 (W.D. New York, 1949)
Rosenberg v. Globe Aircraft Corporation
80 F. Supp. 123 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1948)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
8 F.R.D. 67, 1947 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1782, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-hano-paed-1947.