Minucci v. Sogevalor, S.A.

14 S.W.3d 790, 2000 Tex. App. LEXIS 1447, 2000 WL 232999
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 2, 2000
Docket01-98-01221-CV, 01-98-01327-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by67 cases

This text of 14 S.W.3d 790 (Minucci v. Sogevalor, S.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Minucci v. Sogevalor, S.A., 14 S.W.3d 790, 2000 Tex. App. LEXIS 1447, 2000 WL 232999 (Tex. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

OPINION

FRANK C. PRICE, Justice (Assigned).

This is an interlocutory appeal from the denial of the special appearance by appellant, Vincenzo Minucci. We reverse the decision of the trial court and render judgment that Minucci’s special appearance be granted.

SUMMARY 1

Appellee, Sogevalor, S.A., is a Swiss portfolio/money management company. Its business consists of receiving money from European investors, as their trustee, and investing that money in investments around the world. Sogevalor plans and oversees the investments it makes for its clients.

Minucci is an Italian citizen who engages in the same type of business. He operates his money management business as a sole proprietor. He, like Sogevalor, receives money from his European clients and makes decisions on how to invest their money.

This case is based on Minucci’s transactions in Texas. In the course of his investment activities, Minucci was president of Davstar I, which lost a significant amount of the funds Minucci’s and Sogevalor’s clients invested. As the president of Davstar I, Minucci was subject under European laws to potential personal liability for the repayment of the lost investments to the clients. Minucci approached Soge-valor for a loan to cover Davstar’s losses. Sogevalor agreed to make the loan in the form of an investment through a new company, Piedmont Investments N.V., to be operated and managed by Dibo Attar, a Houston, Texas resident. Sogevalor asked Minucci to sign the guaranty at issue in this case in which Minucci promised to repay the newly invested funds, plus a 20 percent return. Sogevalor then invested $2,087,507 in Piedmont, and Minucci executed the guaranty agreement as chairman of Davstar. Davstar’s investment operations were run from Houston, Texas. Mi-nucci failed to repay the promised amount, and Sogevalor filed this suit for collection.

*794 PERSONAL JURISDICTION

In point of error one, Minucci argues the trial court’s finding that the due process clause of the Constitution authorizes jurisdiction over him was erroneous, because his contacts with Texas were limited and sporadic.

Standard of Review

Rule 120a of the Rules of Civil Procedure allows a party to appear specially, without making a general appearance, to object to the jurisdiction of the court over the party, or the party’s property, “on the ground that such party or property is not amenable to process issued by the courts of this State.” Tex.R. Civ. P. 120a; Abacan Technical Services Ltd. v. Global Marine Int'l Services Corp., 994 S.W.2d 839, 843 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1999, n.p.h.). The words “not amenable to process” mean that the special appearance is available solely to establish that the Texas court cannot, under the federal and state constitutions and the applicable state statutes, validly obtain jurisdiction over the person or property of the defendant with regard to the cause of action pled. GFTA Trendanalysen B.G.A. Herrdum GMBH & Co., KG. v. Varme, 991 S.W.2d 785, 786 (Tex.1999).

On appeal from a special appearance, we review all evidence in the record to determine if the nonresident defendant negated all possible grounds for personal jurisdiction. Kawasaki Steel Corp. v. Middleton, 699 S.W.2d 199, 203 (Tex.1985); Abacan, 994 S.W.2d at 843. The review, however, is not de novo. Fish v. Tandy Corp., 948 S.W.2d 886, 892 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1997, pet. denied). The proper standard for reviewing the evidence in a case involving a challenge to personal jurisdiction is factual sufficiency. Id. After reviewing all of the evidence, we may reverse the decision of the trial court only if its ruling is so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be manifestly erroneous or unjust. See In re King’s Estate, 150 Tex. 662, 244 S.W.2d 660, 661 (1951).

When, as here, the trial court does not file findings of fact in a special appearance, all questions of fact are presumed to support the judgment. Worford v. Stamper, 801 S.W.2d 108,109 (Tex.1990); Garner v. Furmanite Australia Pty., Ltd., 966 S.W.2d 798, 802 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1998, writ denied). A reviewing court must affirm if the judgment can be upheld on any legal theory supported by the evidence. Happy Indus. Corp. v. American Specialties, Inc., 983 S.W.2d 844, 847 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1998, no writ).

Due Process

A court may assert personal jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant only if the requirements of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Texas long-arm statute are satisfied. CSR Ltd. v. Link, 925 S.W.2d 591, 594 (Tex.1996); Heli copteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall, 466 U.S. 408, 414, 104 S.Ct. 1868, 1872, 80 L.Ed.2d 404 (1984). The Texas long-arm statute allows a court to exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant who does business in Texas. Tex. Civ. PRAC. & Rem.Code Ann. § 17.042 (Vernon 1999). The Texas long-arm statute reaches as far as the federal and state constitutional guarantees of due process allow. Gamer, 966 S.W.2d at 802.

The activities specifically identified as “doing business” in Texas include the following:

(1) contracting by mail or otherwise with a Texas resident and either party is to perform the contract in whole or in part in this state;
(2) committing a tort in whole or in part in this state;
(3) recruiting Texas residents, directly or through an intermediary located in this state, for employment inside or outside this state.

*795 Tex. Civ. PRAC. & Rem.Code Ann. § 17.042 (Vernon 1997). In addition to this short list, the statute provides “other acts” by the nonresident that can satisfy the requirement. Id.; Guardian Royal Exch. Assurance, Ltd. v. English China Clays, P.L.C., 815 S.W.2d 223, 226 (Tex.1991). The Texas Supreme Court has repeatedly interpreted this broad statutory language “to reach as far as the federal constitutional requirements of due process will allow.” CSR, 925 S.W.2d at 594. Therefore, the requirements of the Texas long-arm statute are satisfied if the exercise of personal jurisdiction comports with federal due process limitations. Id.

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14 S.W.3d 790, 2000 Tex. App. LEXIS 1447, 2000 WL 232999, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/minucci-v-sogevalor-sa-texapp-2000.