Sealy v. Goddard

910 So. 2d 502, 2005 WL 311751
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 10, 2005
Docket2003-IA-02144-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 910 So. 2d 502 (Sealy v. Goddard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sealy v. Goddard, 910 So. 2d 502, 2005 WL 311751 (Mich. 2005).

Opinion

910 So.2d 502 (2005)

Gloria Poche SEALY, Douglas Paul Sealy, Rachel Sealy Kimble and Patrice Sealy Torres
v.
Michael Edward GODDARD, III by his Next Friend Jeanie Danos and Jeanie Danos, Individually.

No. 2003-IA-02144-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

February 10, 2005.

Lawrence Cary Gunn, Jr., Hattiesburg, attorney for appellants.

Morris Sweatt, James Coleman Rhoden, Columbia, attorneys for appellees.

Before COBB, P.J., CARLSON and RANDOLPH, JJ.

CARLSON, Justice, for the Court.

¶ 1. In this case of first impression arising under our long-arm statute, Miss.Code Ann. § 13-3-57 (Rev.2002), Gloria Poche Sealy, Douglas Paul Sealy, Rachel Sealy Kimble and Patrice Sealy Torres ("Sealy heirs") appeal the trial court's denial of their motion to dismiss or in the alternative, to quash summons, and therefore, assuming personal jurisdiction over them in their individual capacities. Finding that the trial court erred in determining that the provisions of Miss.Code Ann. § 13-3-57 *503 provided personal jurisdiction over the Sealy heirs, we reverse the order of the Lamar County Circuit Court and render judgment here in favor of the Sealy heirs dismissing the amended complaint and action without prejudice for lack of personal jurisdiction.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN THE TRIAL COURT

¶ 2. On April 6, 1999, George W. Sealy, a Louisiana resident, was driving his vehicle on a public road within the confines of Little Black Creek State Park in Lamar County, Mississippi, when he struck a pedestrian, eighteen-month-old Michael Edward Goddard, III. Although we do not know the extent of Michael's injuries, the original complaint alleged that Sealy's vehicle ran over Michael's body and head, causing severe injuries. On April 3, 2002, Michael's mother, Jeanie Danos, an adult resident citizen of Mississippi, commenced a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Lamar County. The complaint was styled, "Michael Edward Goddard, III, By His Next Friend, Jeanie Danos, and Jeanie Danos, Individually vs. George W. Sealy." Since no responsive pleading had been filed, the plaintiffs, consistent with the provisions of Miss. R. Civ. P. 15(a), filed an amended complaint on April 17, 2002. In the amended complaint, the named defendants were "George W. Sealy and United Agents Insurance Company, In Receivership, and Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association."[1]

¶ 3. On June 6, 2002, the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association (LIGA), through counsel, filed a motion to dismiss and a suggestion of death, with an attached certified copy of a death certificate from the Vital Records Registry of the state of Louisiana. The death certificate revealed that George W. Sealy, age 79, died of natural causes on August 11, 2000, in Houma, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. In their response to LIGA's motion to dismiss, the plaintiffs conceded that the insurance carrier and LIGA should be dismissed as party defendants, and in fact incorporated into their motion to dismiss, a motion to substitute party wherein the plaintiffs requested the circuit court to substitute "The Estate of George W. Sealy, deceased," in the stead of "George W. Sealy." In due course, the trial court dismissed LIGA,[2] and additionally, on the plaintiffs' motion and by separate order, the trial court directed that an alias summons be issued for service upon "the Estate of George Sealy, Deceased, c/o Honorable Milton Cancienne, Jr., P.O. Box 6035, Houma, Louisiana 70361, attorney for said Estate."[3] The attorney received the summons via certified mail. In both the order dismissing LIGA and the order directing issuance of the alias summons, the named defendants in the style of the orders were "George W. Sealy and United Agents Insurance Company, In Receivership and *504 Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association."

¶ 4. Although already dismissed as a party, LIGA filed an amicus curiae motion to dismiss alleging inter alia that the Circuit Court of Lamar County had not acquired jurisdiction. Among the reasons asserted by LIGA in support of its motion to dismiss were (1) that prior to the commencement of the lawsuit, Sealy had died in Louisiana and his estate had been opened, administered and closed in accordance with Louisiana law;[4] (2) that service of process was not completed upon Sealy or his estate; (3) that the plaintiffs' motion to substitute Sealy's estate as a defendant was meritless since at the time of the motion, Sealy's estate had been closed and not re-opened; and, (4) that the Louisiana attorney for the estate was without authority to accept service of process since the estate had been closed. Although the plaintiffs objected to LIGA's filing of an amicus curiae motion since LIGA had been dismissed as party, the trial court thereafter entered an order in response to LIGA's amicus curiae motion to dismiss, but did not dismiss the lawsuit. Instead, the order stated in its entirety.

Upon motion by the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association, appearing as amicus curiae, this Court finds that service upon Milton Cancienne, Jr., a Louisiana attorney, was not properly effected and did not act as service on the estate of George W. Sealy, deceased, as the estate was administratively closed before the plaintiff (sic) filed suit on April 3, 2002.
WHEREFORE, for good cause shown, this Court dismisses the attempted service upon Milton Cancienne, Jr., as defective, and grants the plaintiff (sic) sixty (60) additional days to reopen the estate of George W. Sealy and effect service of process upon the estate.

The style of this order listed the defendants as "George W. Sealy & United Agents Insurance Company."

¶ 5. Approximately one and one-half months after entry of this order, the trial court granted the plaintiffs leave to have alias process issued for Gloria Poche Sealy, Patrice Sealy Torres, Douglas P. Sealy, and Rachel Sealy Kimble (the Sealy heirs). The style of this order listed the defendants as "Estate of George W. Sealy, Deceased and United Agents Insurance Company, In Receivership." An alias summons was issued for service upon each of the Sealy heirs, and, although these individuals were not parties to the litigation, each summons directed the therein named heir to file responsive pleadings to the attached amended complaint within thirty days of service of process, failing which the named individual would suffer a judgment by default.[5] Counsel for the plaintiffs thereafter submitted written proof of service on the Sealy heirs to the Lamar County Circuit Clerk.

¶ 6. LIGA once again appeared amicus curiae, over the plaintiffs' objection, and filed a motion to dismiss alleging inter alia that process on the individual heirs was invalid since the complaint had never been amended to include the individual heirs; that no claim of negligence or liability had been asserted against any of the heirs; and, that Sealy's estate had long since been closed. In its motion, LIGA requested that the trial court dismiss with prejudice *505 all claims against the estate, or alternatively, that the trial court quash process as to the Sealy heirs. The trial court denied LIGA's motion, stating in its order inter alia that the court had subject matter jurisdiction in this case; and, that the court had personal jurisdiction over the Sealy heirs pursuant to Miss.Code Ann.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
910 So. 2d 502, 2005 WL 311751, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sealy-v-goddard-miss-2005.