Stetson China Co. v. D. C. Andrews & Co. of Illinois

9 F.R.D. 135, 1948 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3363
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedDecember 20, 1948
DocketNo. 48 C 47
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 9 F.R.D. 135 (Stetson China Co. v. D. C. Andrews & Co. of Illinois) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stetson China Co. v. D. C. Andrews & Co. of Illinois, 9 F.R.D. 135, 1948 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3363 (N.D. Ill. 1948).

Opinion

BARNES, Chief Judge.

This cause is before the court on two motions: (1) The motion of D. C. An[136]*136drews of Maryland, Inc., appearing specially, to quash the purported service of summons upon it; and (2) the motion of James A. Lansing, as a friend of the court, to quash the service of process purportedly made upon the defendant Jack Firenstein Y Cia, S.R.L.

The return of service as to D. C. Andrews & Company of Maryland, Inc., reads as follows: “Served this writ together with copy of complaint on the within named D. C. Andrews & Company of Maryland, Inc., a Delaware corporation by delivering copies thereof to J. A. Lansing Office Manager of D. C. Andrews of Illinois said to be agents of D. C. Andrews & Company of Maryland, this 13th day of February, A.D. 1948. The President of said corporation not found in my district.”

In support of the motion to quash the service upon D. C. Andrews & Company of Maryland, Inc., it is represented; (1) That it is not doing business in the State of Illinois; (2) that D. C. Andrews of Illinois, upon whom service was purportedly made, is unknown to and is not an agent or servant of D. C. Andrews & Company of Maryland; and (3) that J. A. Lansing, upon whom service was purportedly made as an alleged agent of D. C. Andrews of Illinois, is not an agent or servant of D. C. Andrews & Company of Maryland, Inc. Attached to the motion is the affidavit of James A. Lansing, wherein he avers: That he is and at the times thereinafter mentioned was office manager of D. C. Andrews & Co. of Illinois, Inc., a corporation having its principal office in Chicago, Illinois; that he is not and was not an agent, servant or employee of any other firm, person or corporation; that on February 13, 1948, a deputy marshal of this court attempted to serve affiant with a summons in this cause as agent of the defendant D. C. Andrews & Company of Maryland, Inc. and as agent of Jack Firenstein Y Cia, S. R. L., or as agent of an agent of said defendants; that affiant informed said deputy marshal that he was neither an agent of such defendants, nor an agent of any agent of said defendants; that affiant refused to accept 'any summons as any such alleged agent or otherwise; that the deputy marshal nevertheless served such summons upon affiant and made a return thereon that said defendant Andrews of Maryland was served on that date by such deputy marshal delivering a copy of such summons together with a copy of the complaint “to J. A. Lansing office manager of D. C. Andrews of Illinois said to be agents of D. C. Andrews & Company of Maryland * * * ” and the deputy marshal made a further return that the defendant Firenstein was served on such date by such deputy marshal delivering such summons, together with a copy of the complaint herein “to J. A. Lansing office manager of D. C. Andrews of Illinois, Inc., said to be agents of Firenstein.”; that affiant knows of no person, firm or corporation by the name of “D. C. Andrews of Illinois” or “D. C. Andrews of Illinois, Inc.;” that affiant has tendered such copies of summons and complaint to his employer, D. C. Andrews & Co. of Illinois, Inc., but his employer has refused to accept the same on the ground that it is not an agent of Andrews of Maryland or Firenstein, and on the further ground that it is not “D. C. Andrews of Illinois” nor “D. C. Andrews of Illinois, Inc.,” upon whose supposed agent the marshal, by his return, has claimed to have made service; that affiant is acquainted with D. C. Andrews & Company of Maryland, Inc.; a' corporation organized under the laws of Maryland and having its principal office in New Orleans, Louisiana; that according to affiant’s knowledge, information and belief said corporation is not doing business in Illinois; that said corporation and affiant’s employer (D. C. Andrews & Co. of Illinois, Inc.) are both engaged in the business of freight forwarding; that they are both independent contractors in such business; that, in their respective capacities as independent freight forwarders, they often forward freight to, and receive freight from, each other and perform services in connection with freight so received; that such freight, so received by one from the other, is handled by the receiver as an independent freight forwerder; that in each such case the one receiving freight from the other sends a regular bill to the other for services rendered in connection with such freight, and for charges [137]*137advanced in connection therewith, and such bill is paid by the one who forwarded such freight to the other; that in no case does the one forwarding the freight to the other exercise, or have the right to exercise, any control over the manner in which the other performs any of the work or services in connection with the receipt and handling, reforwarding or delivering of such freight; and that, in particular, Andrews of Maryland has never exercised, nor had the right to exercise, any control over the manner in which.D. C. Andrews & Co., Inc., of Illinois, its agents or servants, has performed any work or service of any kind. It is further averred in said affidavit of Jame-s A. Lansing that neither he nor his employer is, or ever has been, an agent of the defendant Firenstein; that, so far as affiant recollects, the only times either he or his employer ever directly or indirectly did anything in which Firenstein was interested was on two occasions when a shipper, other than Firenstein, engaged affiant’s employer, as an independent freight forwarder, to forward a shipment of freight from Chicago to defendant Fir en-, stein in Buenos Aires, Argentina; that upon both of said occasions affiant believes Firenstein, in pursuance to a solicitation of him to do so, recommended or requested that the Chicago shipper engage the services of affiant’s employer in forwarding a shipment of merchandise purchased from such shipper by Firenstein; that such recommendations and requests are commonly made by purchasers and are never considered in the transportation business a9 making the particular transportation agency the agent of the purchaser; that on each of the occasions in question the services performed in connection with the freight forwarding were for and at the request of the shipper, and not Firenstein, and that on neither of such occasions did either the shipper or Firenstein exercise or have the right to exercise any control over the manner in which D. C. Andrews & Co. of Illinois, Inc., its agents or servants, performed such services; and that on neither of such occasions, nor .any other occasion, did D. C. Andrews & Co. of Illinois, Inc., demand, receive, or expect to receive any compensation from Firenstein, but on each occasion looked to the respective shipper for its charges.

The return of service as to Jack Firenstein Y Cia S. R. L., reads as follows: “Served this writ together with copy of complaint on the within named Jack Firenstein Y Cia S. R. L. a corporation or a limited partnership organized under the laws of the Republic of Argentine, by delivering copies thereof to J. A. Lansing, Office Manager of D. C. Andrews of Illinois, Inc., said to be agents of Jack Firenstein Y Cia S. R. L. a corporation or a limited partnership organized under the laws of the Republic of Argentine, this 13th day of February A. D. 1948.”

In support of the motion to quash the service purportedly made upon Firenstein, James A. Lansing, as a friend of the court, represents: That he is not now and never has been an agent or servant of “D. C. Andrews of Illinois, Inc.” or of Jack Firenstein Y Cia., S. R.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
9 F.R.D. 135, 1948 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3363, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stetson-china-co-v-d-c-andrews-co-of-illinois-ilnd-1948.