Schweyer Import-Schnittholz GMBH v. Genesis Capital Fund, L.P.

220 F.R.D. 582, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7283, 2004 WL 912410
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Iowa
DecidedApril 22, 2004
DocketNo. 4:03-cv-40648
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 220 F.R.D. 582 (Schweyer Import-Schnittholz GMBH v. Genesis Capital Fund, L.P.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schweyer Import-Schnittholz GMBH v. Genesis Capital Fund, L.P., 220 F.R.D. 582, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7283, 2004 WL 912410 (S.D. Iowa 2004).

Opinion

ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS

GRITZNER, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss for failure to join an indispensable party pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(7) (“Rule 12(b)(7)”). A hearing was held on February 23, 2004. Plaintiff was represented by Michael Reck. Defendants were represented by Timothy DeJong of Portland, Oregon, and Brent Appel of Des Moines.

I. FACTS

Plaintiff Schweyer Import — Schnittholz GMBH (“Schweyer”) is a German corporation with its principal place of business in Mannheim, Germany. Schweyer entered into a contract to purchase certain timber products from Greater Asian Development Corporation, PTE Ltd. (“GADC”), a Singapore limited private company which conducts business internationally including in the State of Oregon. Defendant Genesis Capital Fund, L.P. (“Genesis”), is a Delaware limited partnership and a major shareholder of Griffith International Holdings Pte. Ltd. (“Griffith International”), and GADC. Defendants Bruce Hauptman, William Hurlin, and Hauptman and Associates were owners, officers, directors, or agents of GADC and/or Genesis. Hauptman and Hurlin are residents of Iowa. Hauptman and Associates is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Iowa. Genesis is Delaware limited partnership with its principal place of business in Iowa. Hauptman, Hurlin, Haupt-man and Associates, and Genesis are collectively referred to herein as “Iowa Defendants” or “Defendants”.

Schweyer also named as Defendants the following alien corporations and individuals: (1) Greater Asian Development Corporation Forest Products Division Pte. Ltd. (“GADC Forest Products”), a Singapore company which was the former name of GADC; (2) Griffith International, a Singapore company that GADC currently operates under; (3) Greater Lao Timber Corp. (“Lao Timber”), a Lao joint venture of which GADC owned seventy-five percent; (4) Intercontinental Business Development Corporation (“IBDC”), a major shareholder of GADC; and (5) individual claims against Stephen J. Griffith and Christos Hadzilias, owners, directors, officers, or agents of GADC Forest Products. Griffith and Hadzilias are both residents of Australia. These alien corporations and individuals are collectively referred to herein as the “Alien Defendants.”

This case arises from the alleged breach of a settlement agreement entered into by Schweyer and GADC following a dispute over a shipment of allegedly defective pine scantlings. Because GADC allegedly failed [584]*584to make payments as required under the agreement, Schweyer filed this action to recover damages. None of the Iowa Defendants nor the Alien Defendants were a party to the settlement agreement.

II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY1

On March 21, 1997, Schweyer filed this lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon; an amended complaint was filed almost three years later on February 1, 2000. The amended complaint alleged breach of contract and improper conduct. Schweyer’s theory of liability as to the Iowa Defendants and the Alien Defendants was that, as owners, stockholders, officers/directors, partners, and agents of GADC, they controlled the operations and finances of GADC and prevented GADC from performing under its settlement agreement. Schweyer further alleged the Iowa Defendants and the Alien Defendants manipulated the financial and commercial affairs of GADC, causing it to breach the settlement agreement. Schweyer also argued GADC’s controlling shareholders placed the corporation into liquidation in Singapore without notifying Schweyer, then stripped all assets from the corporation. Schweyer contended that GADC was the alter ego of the Iowa Defendants and the Alien Defendants; as such, they should step into the shoes of GADC and perform its obligations under the settlement agreement.

On March 17, 2000, the Iowa Defendants filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, arguing they were Iowa residents and had no contact with Oregon. The Iowa Defendants further argued that Schweyer had not met its burden of showing personal jurisdiction under the alter ego theory. On June 9, 2000, IBDC filed its own motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, arguing Schweyer failed to properly serve and failed to prove the necessary elements of personal jurisdiction under the alter ego theory. In resistance to those motions, Schweyer argued that the court clearly had jurisdiction over GADC, and personal jurisdiction should be imputed to the Iowa Defendants and to IBDC under the alter ego theory. On October 10, 2000, while those motions were pending, Schweyer filed a motion for the entry of default and default judgment against GADC; the court granted the motion on December 5, 2000.

On December 2, 2002, the Iowa Defendants and IBDC filed a joint motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, arguing diversity jurisdiction did not provide for an alien plaintiff to sue alien defendants. On July 10, 2002, during a hearing on the pending motions to dismiss, Schweyer made an unopposed oral motion to vacate the default judgment against GADC and to dismiss all the Alien Defendants, including GADC. The Court granted the motion.

On September 18, 2002, United States Magistrate Judge Coffin (“Magistrate Judge Coffin”) filed a Findings and Recommendations (“F & R”), reasoning the entire case should be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to join an indispensable party. Schweyer filed an objection to the F & R, and in response, Magistrate Judge Coffin filed an Amended F & R, again reasoning the motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction should be granted and motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction should be denied as moot.

In an amended F & R, Magistrate Judge Coffin clarified that the motion should be granted because Schweyer was trying to circumvent subject matter jurisdiction by dismissing the Aien Defendants stating, “[t]he same defendants that plaintiff wants to characterize as separate and independent of GADC for purposes of subject matter jurisdiction are characterized as the alter ego of GADC for purposes of personal jurisdiction. Courts that have addressed these competing arguments have recognized the inconsistency and declined to exercise jurisdiction.”

However, in an order dated May 16, 2003, United States District Judge Michael Hogan did not adopt Magistrate Judge Coffin’s F & R regarding the court’s subject matter jurisdiction stating, “[although Judge Coffin’s reasoning is appealing, I decline to attribute [585]*585the Singapore Citizenship of ... GADC to ... the Iowa defendants. Therefore, complete diversity may now exist, although the court has not considered whether GADC is an indispensable party.” Judge Hogan recommitted the matter to Magistrate Judge Coffin for consideration of the Iowa Defendants’ motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction.

On June 18, 2003, Defendants filed an Amended Motion to Dismiss alleging lack of personal jurisdiction pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(2), failure to join an indispensable party pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(7), and improper venue pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P.

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Bluebook (online)
220 F.R.D. 582, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7283, 2004 WL 912410, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schweyer-import-schnittholz-gmbh-v-genesis-capital-fund-lp-iasd-2004.