Schnabel v. Volkswagen of America, Inc.

185 F. Supp. 122, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4780, 1960 Trade Cas. (CCH) 69,759
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Iowa
DecidedJuly 13, 1960
DocketCiv. 905
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 185 F. Supp. 122 (Schnabel v. Volkswagen of America, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schnabel v. Volkswagen of America, Inc., 185 F. Supp. 122, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4780, 1960 Trade Cas. (CCH) 69,759 (N.D. Iowa 1960).

Opinion

GRAVEN, District Judge.

Each of the defendants has moved to quash the service of summons made upon it. The plaintiff is a citizen of Iowa and a resident of the City of Waterloo, Black Hawk County. The defendant Volkswagen of America, Inc., is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New Jersey. The defendant Import Motors of Chicago, Inc., is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Illinois. During the period of time here pertinent the first named defendant was an exclusive importer of automobiles manufactured by Volkswagenwerk G.m.b.II., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the German Federal Republic, and the last named defendant was a distributor of those automobiles.

In his complaint the plaintiff alleges in substance that late in 1955 he entered a franchise agreement under which he was to be the franchise dealer for Volkswagen automobiles in the City of Waterloo and surrounding area for the period *123 from January 1, 1956, to December 31, 1956; that the defendants failed to act in good faith in the matter of complying with the terms of the franchise and the renewal and termination thereof. He asks damages against the defendants for the alleged wrong in the sum of $180,000 together with attorneys’ fees. The sum of $180,000 represents treble damages. His action is based upon what is referred to as the “Dealers’ Act.” That Act was enacted as Public Law 1026 of the second session of the 84th Congress, approved August 8th, 1956. 70 Stat. 1125, 15 U.S. C.A. §§ 1221-1225. It will be hereinafter referred to as the Dealers’ Act.

Neither of the defendants has ever qualified to do business in the State of Iowa nor designated an agent in Iowa for service of process. Service of process was made upon the defendant Volkswagen of America, Inc., in the State of New Jersey and upon the defendant Import Motors of Chicago, Inc., in the State of Illinois. Each defendant has by motion challenged the service of process made upon it.

Rule 4(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A., provides, in part, as follows:

“All process * * * 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. * * * ”

In the present case extraterritorial services of process were made. Under Rule 4(f) such service is valid only where a statute of the United States provides for that manner of service.

It is the contention of the plaintiff that the services of process here in question were made in a manner provided by a statute of the United States. It is the contention of the defendants that there is no statute of the United States so providing. The contentions of the parties require a consideration of the Dealers’ Act and certain antitrust legislation. The Dealers’ Act is as follows:

“AN ACT
“To supplement the antitrust laws of the United States, in order to balance the power now heavily weighted in favor of automobile manufacturers, by enabling franchise automobile dealers to bring suit in the district courts of the United States to recover damages sustained by reason of the failure of automobile manufacturers to act in good faith in complying with the terms of franchises or in terminating or not renewing franchises with their dealers.
“Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That as used in this Act.
“(a) The term ‘automobile manufacturer’ shall mean any person, partnership, corporation, association, or other form of business enterprise engaged in the manufacturing or assembling of passenger cars, trucks, or station wagons, including any person, partnership, or corporation which acts for and is under the control of such manufacturer or assembler in connection with the distribution of said automotive vehicles.
“(b) The term ‘franchise’ shall mean the written agreement or contract between any automobile manufacturer engaged in commerce and any automobile dealer which purports to fix the legal rights and liabilities of the parties to such agreement or contract.
“(c) The term‘automobile dealer’ shall mean any person, partnership, corporation, association, or other form of business enterprise resident in the United States or in any Territory thereof or in the District of Columbia operating under the terms of a franchise and engaged in the sale or distribution of passenger cars, trucks, or station wagons.
*124 “(d) The term ‘commerce’ shall mean commerce among the several States of the United States or with foreign nations, or in any Territory of the United States or in the District of Columbia, or among the Territories or between any Territory and any State or foreign nation, or between the District of Columbia and any State or Territory or foreign nation.
“(e) The term ‘good faith’ shall mean the duty of each party to any franchise, and all officers, employees, or agents thereof to act in a fair and equitable manner toward each other so as to guarantee the one party freedom from coercion, intimidation, or threats of coercion or intimidation from the other party: Provided, That recommendation, endorsement, exposition, persuasion, urging or argument shall not be deemed to constitute a lack of good faith.
“Sec. 2. An automobile dealer may bring suit against any automobile manufacturer engaged in commerce, in any district court of the United States in the district in which said manufacturer resides, or is found, or has an agent, without respect to the amount in controversy, and shall recover the damages by him sustained and the cost of suit by reason of the failure of said automobile manufacturer from and after the passage of this Act to act in good faith in performing or complying with any of the terms or provisions of the franchise, or in terminating, canceling, or not renewing the franchise with said dealer: Provided, That in any such suit the manufacturer shall not be barred from asserting in defense of any such action the failure of the dealer to act in good faith.
“Sec. 3. Any action brought pursuant to this Act shall be forever barred unless commenced within three years after the cause of action shall have accrued.
“See. 4. No provision of this Act. shall repeal, modify, or supersede, directly or indirectly, any provision of the antitrust laws of the United. States.
“Sec. 5. This Act shall not invalidate any provision of the laws of any State except insofar as there is a direct conflict between an express provision of this Act and an express provision of State law which can not be reconciled.”

The contentions of the parties revolve-around the question as to the relationship between the Dealers’ Act and the-Clayton Act. 38 Stat. 730 (1914), 15 U.S.C.A. §§ 12-27. Section 12 of the Clayton Act (Sec. 22 of 15 U.S.C.A.), provides:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
185 F. Supp. 122, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4780, 1960 Trade Cas. (CCH) 69,759, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schnabel-v-volkswagen-of-america-inc-iand-1960.