Schmitt v. Seaspray-Sharkline, Inc.

531 A.2d 801, 366 Pa. Super. 528, 1987 Pa. Super. LEXIS 9424
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 1, 1987
Docket1725
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 531 A.2d 801 (Schmitt v. Seaspray-Sharkline, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schmitt v. Seaspray-Sharkline, Inc., 531 A.2d 801, 366 Pa. Super. 528, 1987 Pa. Super. LEXIS 9424 (Pa. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

ROWLEY, Judge:

Appellant Schmitt appeals from an order sustaining the preliminary objections of defendants Seaspray-Sharkline, Inc. and William Cohen. Appellant contests the trial court’s order only as to defendant Cohen, whose preliminary objections were sustained for lack of personal jurisdiction. 1 The issue is whether the trial court erred in finding that the exercise of personal jurisdiction over Mr. Cohen would be “unreasonable or unjustifiable.”

Appellant is the administrator of the Estate of Gerard E. Schmitt who died after suffering quadriplegia as a result of diving injuries. The deceased struck his head upon the bottom of a round, four-foot-deep, outdoor, vinyl-lined swimming pool. Appellant commenced this civil action against the alleged manufacturers and sellers of the pool based upon theories of Products Liability and Negligence.

Appellee Cohen, a New York resident and corporate officer of defendant Seaspray-Sharkline, Inc., argues that there are insufficient contacts with Pennsylvania to sustain in personam jurisdiction over him, and that any contacts *531 which he did have with Pennsylvania were strictly within his corporate capacity as an officer of Seaspray-Sharkline, Inc.

Appellant argues that Cohen’s contacts are sufficient to sustain jurisdiction because, even if his contacts with Pennsylvania were strictly within his corporate capacity, he had the personal authority, duty, and responsibility to design, manufacture, sell, advertise, and recommend the pools, pool products, and decks involved in this litigation. Appellant further argues that the corporation is a “mere extension and creature of Cohen’s person and his individual will” such that Cohen was the designer, manufacturer, seller, advertiser, and recommender of the pools, pool products, and decks.

We find it unnecessary to address the question of whether a finding that Cohen’s contacts were within or without his corporate capacity is relevant to the jurisdictional issue. We must vacate and remand on procedural grounds.

Appellee properly contested jurisdiction by filing preliminary objections. The moving party has the burden of supporting its objections to the court’s jurisdiction. Holt Hauling and Warehousing v. Aronow Roofing, 309 Pa.Super. 158, 161, 454 A.2d 1131, 1133 (1983); Delaware Valley Underwriting v. William and Sapp, 359 Pa.Super. 368, 373, 518 A.2d 1280, 1283 (1986); Gulentz v. Fosdick, 320 Pa. Super. 38, 41 n. 1, 466 A.2d 1049, 1051 n. 1 (1983); Liggitt v. Liggitt, 253 Pa.Super. 126, 131, 384 A.2d 1261, 1263-1264 (1978). Once the plaintiff has produced some evidence to support jurisdiction, the defendant must come forward with some evidence of his own to dispel or rebut the plaintiff’s evidence. Alumbaugh v. Wallace Business Forms, 226 Pa.Super. 511, 516, 313 A.2d 281, 283 (1973). The moving party may not sit back and, by the bare allegations as set forth in the preliminary objections, place the burden upon the plaintiff to negate those allegations. Id. It is only when the moving party properly raises the jurisdictional issue that the burden of proving jurisdiction is upon the party asserting it. Biel v. Herman Lowenstein, Inc., 411 Pa. 559, 192 A.2d 391 (1963); Bergere v. Bergere, *532 364 Pa.Super. 100, 527 A.2d 171 (1987); Temtex Products, Inc. v. Kramer, 330 Pa.Super. 183, 479 A.2d 500 (1984); Martin v. Gerner, 332 Pa.Super. 507, 481 A.2d 903 (1984); Crompton v. Park Ward Motors, Inc., 299 Pa.Super. 40, 445 A.2d 137 (1982); Whalen v. Walt Disney World Co., 274 Pa.Super. 246, 418 A.2d 389 (1980). If an issue of fact is raised, the court shall take evidence by deposition or otherwise. Lox, Stock and Bagels, Inc. v. Kotten Machine Company of California, Inc., 261 Pa.Super. 84, 88, 395 A.2d 954, 955 (1978) (emphasis supplied). The court may no,t reach a determination based upon its view of the controverted facts, but must resolve the dispute by receiving evidence thereon through interrogatories, depositions, or an evidentiary hearing. Delaware Valley Underwriting, supra, 359 Pa.Super. at 373, 518 A.2d at 1283. Accord: Luitweiler v. Northchester Corporation, 456 Pa. 530, 535, 319 A.2d 899, 902 (1974); Telstar Corporation v. Berman, 281 Pa.Super. 443, 448, 422 A.2d 551, 554 (1980); Envirosystems Corporation v. Weinhardt, 271 Pa.Super. 66, 68, 412 A.2d 577, 578 (1979). Where an essential factual issue arises from the pleadings as to the scope of a defendant’s activities within the Commonwealth, the plaintiff has the right to depose defendant as to his activities within the Commonwealth, and the court must permit the taking of the deposition before ruling on the preliminary objections. Manchel v. Weil, 272 Pa.Super. 591, 595, 416 A.2d 1054, 1056 (1979). Where neither party presents evidence by which the court can properly resolve the issue, it is appropriate to remand with directions that an order be entered allowing the parties a reasonable period of time in which to present evidence by deposition, interrogatories or otherwise. Lox, Stock and Bagels, Inc, supra, 261 Pa.Super. at 88, 395 A.2d at 956.

The record in this case reveals that issues of fact were raised, and that the court failed to receive evidence through interrogatories, depositions, or an evidentiary hearing.

Appellant alleged the following in the complaint: that William Cohen is an individual whose home address is *533

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Bluebook (online)
531 A.2d 801, 366 Pa. Super. 528, 1987 Pa. Super. LEXIS 9424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schmitt-v-seaspray-sharkline-inc-pa-1987.