O'Brien v. Richtarsic

2 F.R.D. 42, 1941 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2088
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedJuly 31, 1941
DocketNo. 540
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 2 F.R.D. 42 (O'Brien v. Richtarsic) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
O'Brien v. Richtarsic, 2 F.R.D. 42, 1941 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2088 (W.D.N.Y. 1941).

Opinion

KNIGHT, District Judge.

The plaintiffs Thomas F. O’Brien and Margaret R. O’Brien, and the defendant Agnes Richtarsic are residents of this District. The defendant Alric C. Lindholm is not a resident of the District and resides in Pennsylvania. The defendant Lindholm was served with a summons and complaint in Pennsylvania. Upon motion the action was dismissed as against the defendant Lindholm on the ground that the court had no jurisdiction because the summons was served outside of this District. Thereafter on motion of the defendant Agnes Richtarsic an order was granted making the defendant Lindholm a third party defendant in the action and giving permission for the service upon him of a summons and complaint therein. Such summons and complaint were served on defendant Lindholm in Kane, Pennsylvania. The third party defendant Lindholm now appears specially and moves for an order dismissing the service of summons in third party complaint on several grounds. It seems necessary to consider only the ground raised that the court lacks jurisdiction over the person of this defendant.

The question for determination is an important and far reaching one. The plaintiffs and the third party plaintiff seek to sustain the third party claim by virtue of the provisions of Rule 14(a) and Rule 4 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A. following section 723c. There can be little question that the third party claim herein is authorized under Rule 14(a). Rule 4(f) permits the service of process, except a subpoena, outside the limits of the state “when a statute of the United States so provides * * There are numerous statutes under which service outside the district and state is authorized. There is no statute specifically applicable to the instant claim. The plaintiffs seem to rely principally upon Rule 4(e) in connection with Rule 14(a). Rule 4(e) relates to the circumstances under which and the maner in which service “upon a party not an inhabitant of or found within the state” shall be made. Rule 4(d) (7) permits service as provided by the statute “or in the manner prescribed by the law of the state in which the service is made.” There seems to me to be some conflict between Rule 4(d)(7) and 4(e), since one authorizes service without any order and the other requires an order fixing the circumstances under which and the manner in which service shall be made. Attention has been called to the inaccuracy in Rule 4(e) in the inclusion of the word “rule.” Moore’s Federal Practice, Vol. 1, page 341.

In the instant suit no order fixed the circumstances under which and the manner in which service of the summons was to be made. The order herein on the third party claim was granted ex parte. It simply provided for the bringing in of the third party defendant.

It is the claim of the third party defendant that there is no statute authorizing the service of process upon him and that in the absence of such statute the aforesaid rules directing service are of no effect herein. The statute authorizing the making of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure prohibits the change therein of any substantive rights of any litigant. Section 723(b), Title 28 U.S.C.A. Rule 82, in harmony with that provision, states that it is not to be construed “to extend or limit the jurisdiction of the district courts * * * or the venue of actions therein.” Attention is also called to the express limitation in Rule 4(f).

On the other hand the plaintiffs herein assert that the rules have the force of statutes and that Rule 4(e) does not affect any substantive right. Questions comparable in certain respects with the instant suit have been recently considered by [44]*44numerous district courts. Among such may be cited as supporting plaintiffs’ claim: Iser v. Brockway, D.C., 25 F.Supp. 221; Williams v. James, D.C., 34 F.Supp. 61; Crum v. Appalachian Power Co., D.C., 27 F.Supp. 138; King v. Shepherd, D.C., 26 F.Supp. 357; Tullgren v. Jasper, D.C., 27 F.Supp. 413, 415; Satink v. Holland Tp., D.C., 28 F.Supp. 67; Kravas v. Great A. & P. Tea Co., D.C., 28 F.Supp. 66; Bossard v. McGwinn, D.C., 27 F.Supp. 412; Clancy v. Balacier, D.C., 27 F.Supp. 867. Some of these were suits brought originally against a noninhabitant and the effect of different methods of service. Some involved the question of ancillary jurisdiction in a third party claim and whether independent jurisdiction was requisite. These latter hold, in effect, that the third party claim does not need independent jurisdictional grounds for support.

On the other hand these cases in effect have held to the contrary; King v. Shepherd, D.C., 26 F.Supp. 367; Richardson v. Franklin County Distilling Co., D.C., 38 F.Supp. 513; Melekov v. Collins, D.C., 30 F.Supp. 159; Gibbs v. Emerson Electric Mfg. Co., D.C., 29 F.Supp. 810; Carby v. Greco, D.C., 31 F.Supp. 251; F. & M. Skirt Co. v. A. Wimpheimer & Bro., D.C., 27 F. Supp. 239. These find their bases on the position that the third party rule does not affect the jurisdictional requirements or extend venue; that Rule 82 controls in that respect; that jurisdiction in turn must be tested by substantive law. Sewchulis v. Lehigh Valley Coal Co., 2 Cir., 233 F. 422. They ignore the question of ancillary jurisdiction.

In Contracting Division, etc. v. New York Life Ins. Co., 2 Cir., 113 F.2d 864, 865, decided in this district, a motion was made to join certain nonresident parties. The application was based on Rules 13(h), 19(a) and 21. The court there said the moving party failed to take note of Rule 82 and that the nonresidence of those defendants presented “an insuperable obstacle to forcing them against their will into a suit in the southern district.” That court cited in this connection Gibbs v. Emerson Electric Mfg. Co., supra, and Melekov v. Collins, supra.

It is clear that the only ground on which jurisdiction herein can be sustained is that the claim is ancillary and not open to the jurisdictional objection.

The law is well established that “Principal jurisdiction involves and carries along with itself power over matters that can properly be regarded as accessorial. * * * And by virtue of this principle the District Court has jurisdiction of many matters as ancillary over which there would be no jurisdiction, were these matters independent and standing alone.” Loft, Inc. v. Corn Products Refining Co., 7 Cir., 103 F.2d 1, 10 (quoting Dobie on Fed. Procedure) ; Venner v. Pennsylvania Steel Co., D.C., 250 F. 292; Eichel v. United States F. & G. Co., 245 U.S. 102, 38 S.Ct. 47, 62 L.Ed. 177; Pell v. McCabe, 2 Cir., 256 F. 512; Wilson v. United American Lines, D.C., 21 P.2d 872. Webster defines ancillary as “designating or pertaining to a document, proceeding * * * that is subordinate to, or in aid of, another primary or principal one; as an ancillary attachment, bill, or suit presupposes the existence of another principal proceeding.” 1 Bouvier’s Law Dictionary, Rawle’s Third Revision, p. 194, defines ancillary as ’“auxilliary”, “subordinate.” In Pell v. McCabe, supra [256 F. 515], 2 Cir., certain rules of determination were laid down.

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Bluebook (online)
2 F.R.D. 42, 1941 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2088, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/obrien-v-richtarsic-nywd-1941.