Robinson v. Vanguard Ins. Co.

468 So. 2d 1360
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 16, 1985
DocketCW 84 1359, CW 84 1360
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 468 So. 2d 1360 (Robinson v. Vanguard Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robinson v. Vanguard Ins. Co., 468 So. 2d 1360 (La. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

468 So.2d 1360 (1985)

Emanuel ROBINSON
v.
VANGUARD INSURANCE COMPANY, et al.
Helen Nichols MILLS, et al.
v.
BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION, INC., et al.

Nos. CW 84 1359, CW 84 1360.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

April 16, 1985.
Rehearing Denied May 20, 1985.
Writs Denied June 17 and 28, 1985.

Chester C. Williams, Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-respondent Emanuel Robinson.

Docia L. Dalby, Baton Rouge, for defendant-relator Beech Aircraft Corp.

Stephen H. Vogt, Baton Rouge, for defendant-respondent Vanguard Ins. Co., Helen Nichols Mills, Administratrix of the succession of Alva Ray Mills, et al.

Lisa Brener Cusimano, Lafayette, for plaintiff-respondent Helen Nichols Mills, *1361 Alice Mills Nolley, Mary Mills Corkern, Robyn Mills Oslan, Jody Hart Mills and Raymond Matthew Mills.

Howard Daigle, Jr., New Orleans, Dorcia L. Dalby, Baton Rouge, for defendant-mover Beech Aircraft Corp., Baton Rouge Beechcraft, Inc.

Before COLE, CARTER and LANIER, JJ.

LANIER, Judge.

These are consolidated suits for damage arising out of an airplane crash in Mississippi. The Robinson suit is by the Mississippi resident who owned the Mississippi property where the plane crashed. The Mills suit is by the Louisiana surviving spouse and children of a deceased Louisiana resident and asserts wrongful death, survival and redhibitory actions. The nonresident manufacturer of the airplane filed a declinatory exception in each case pleading the objection of lack of jurisdiction over the person. La.C.C.P. art. 925(5). The district court judges overruled the exceptions. On application of the manufacturer, this court granted a supervisory writ to consider the merits of the exceptions.

FACTS

The exceptions were tried on the following stipulations:

1.
Beech Aircraft Corporation has "transacted business" in the State of Louisiana as that phrase is used in La.R.S. 13:3201(a).[1]
2.
Beech Aircraft Corporation has derived "substantial revenue from goods used or consumed in this state" as that phrase is used in La.R.S. 13:3201(d).
3.
Beech Aircraft Corporation has been the defendant in other suits filed in the courts of the State of Louisiana based upon different factual allegations.
. . . . .
1.
Beech Aircraft Corporation designed, and in 1961 manufactured a model N35 Bonanza with serial number D-6751 and FAA registration number N1317Z. That aircraft crashed near McComb, Mississippi, on July 9, 1983, causing the instantaneous death of Alva Ray Mills.
2.
Bonanza N1317Z was first sold by Beech Aircraft Corporation to Southaire, Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee, by Bill of Sale dated May 26, 1961.
3.
Southaire, Inc. sold Bonanza N1317Z to Wiles-Holloway, Inc. of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Bill of Sale dated May 26, 1961.
4.
Wiles-Holloway, Inc. sold Bonanza N1317Z to Hood Realty and Development Company, Inc. of Amite, Louisiana, by Bill of Sale dated May 31, 1961.
5.
Hood Realty and Development Company, Inc. sold Bonanza N1317Z to Wiles-Holloway, Inc. of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Bill of Sale dated August 31, 1963.
6.
Wiles-Holloway, Inc. sold Bonanza N1317Z to C.E. Major, Jr., M.D. of White Castle, Louisiana, by Bill of Sale dated October 22, 1963.
7.
The estate of Dr. C.E. Major, Jr. then sold Bonanza N1317Z to Lonnie H. Bearry *1362 of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the 20th day of December, 1982, who in turn sold the aircraft to Bonanza 17 Zulu, a coownership of Lonnie H. Bearry; A.R. Mills; and S.B. Simpson, by Bill of Sale dated December 20, 1982.
8.
The aircraft was then destroyed in an accident near McComb, Mississippi, on July 9, 1983.
9.
Beech Aircraft Corporation is a foreign corporation which has never registered its business affairs in Louisiana with the Secretary of State.

JURISDICTION OVER THE PERSON

Relator, Beech Aircraft Corporation (Beech), contends the causes of action alleged in these suits do not arise out of any business conducted by Beech in the State of Louisiana and, as a matter of state law, there is no jurisdiction over the person. Respondent Robinson contends Beech's exception is rendered moot because "personal service of process is sufficient to confer personal jurisdiction over Beech as to respondent's cause of action." The Mills respondents contend (1) although Beech did not directly sell the airplane to a Louisiana resident, the circumstances are such that Beech "knew and consented to the fact that the airplane was going to be sold in Louisiana"; and (2) since the purchase of the airplane in Louisiana by the deceased (with others) was a natural result of the general business activity of Beech in Louisiana, the cause of action arose from Beech transacting business in this State as provided in La.R.S. 13:3201(1).[2]

To determine if Louisiana has personal jurisdiction over Beech, a dual inquiry must be made: (1) Does the Louisiana long-arm statute (La.R.S. 13:3201[1]) provide for assertion of jurisdiction in the context of the facts of the case; and (2) is the assertion of jurisdiction by Louisiana constitutionally permissible, that is, will the exercise of personal jurisdiction over Beech be consonant with "traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice" and did Beech have sufficient "minimum contacts" with Louisiana to satisfy due process? Pedelahore v. Astropark, Inc., 745 F.2d 346 (5th Cir.1984). Since Beech has stipulated it has "transacted business" and derived "substantial revenue from goods used or consumed" in this state, it has sufficient "minimum contacts" with this state to satisfy due process and that inquiry is no longer at issue.

Prior to 1964, personal jurisdiction over a nonresident was determined under La.R.S. 13:3471 which provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

The following rules supplement those governing the service of citation and other legal process in a civil action or proceeding contained in the Code of Civil Procedure:
(1) If the foreign corporation is not one required by law to appoint an agent for the service of process, but has engaged in a business activity in this state, service of process in an action or proceeding on a cause of action resulting from such business activity in this state, or for any taxes due or other obligations arising therefrom, may be made on any employee or agent of the corporation of suitable age and discretion found in the state. [Emphasis added].

For purposes of the instant case, the decisions in Nigro v. Cessna Aircraft Company, 169 So.2d 594 (La.App. 4th Cir.1964), Covington v. Southern Specialty Sales Company, 158 So.2d 79 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1963) and Home Gas & Fuel Co. v. Mississippi Tank Co., 143 So.2d 641 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1962) show how this law was interpreted. *1363 In Home Gas,

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468 So. 2d 1360, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-vanguard-ins-co-lactapp-1985.