Sun World Lines v. March Shipping Corp.

585 F. Supp. 580
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedMay 22, 1984
Docket83-2606C(1)
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 585 F. Supp. 580 (Sun World Lines v. March Shipping Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sun World Lines v. March Shipping Corp., 585 F. Supp. 580 (E.D. Mo. 1984).

Opinion

585 F.Supp. 580 (1984)

SUN WORLD LINES, LTD., et al., Plaintiffs,
v.
MARCH SHIPPING CORPORATION, et al., Defendants.

No. 83-2606C(1).

United States District Court, E.D. Missouri, E.D.

May 22, 1984.

*581 Murry A. Marks, Clayton, Mo., for plaintiffs.

Mark L. Zaiger and Patrick M. Roby, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Richard Alan Cooper and Daniel G. Tobben, St. Louis, Mo., for defendants.

MEMORANDUM

NANGLE, Chief Judge.

This case is now before this Court on defendants March Shipping Corporation and March Shipping Passenger Services' (hereinafter "March Shipping" and "Passenger Services," respectively) motion to dismiss for lack of in personam jurisdiction. These defendants argue that they are not subject to service of process pursuant to Missouri's long-arm statute and that this Court's exercise of personal jurisdiction over them does not comport with the requirements of due process.

Plaintiffs Sun World Lines, Ltd. (hereinafter "Sun World") and Double Cee Investments, Ltd. (hereinafter "Double Cee") are Iowa corporations having their principal place of business in St. Louis, Missouri. Defendant Peter Deilmann (hereinafter "Deilmann") is a resident and citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany and has not joined in the instant motion to dismiss.[1] March Shipping is a New York corporation with its principal office in New York and Passenger Services is a wholly owned subsidiary corporation of March Shipping and also has its principal office in New York.

Plaintiffs' causes of action arise out of their dealings with defendants which were in furtherance of plaintiffs' desire to operate the luxury cruise ship M.V. "REGINA MARIS" (hereinafter "Regina Maris") in the North American market. Count I alleges that Deilmann, March Shipping and Passenger Services breached contracts they had with plaintiffs. Count II alleges that March Shipping and Passenger Services made fraudulent misrepresentations to plaintiffs which caused them various injuries. Count III charges March Shipping and Passenger Services with intentional interference with plaintiffs' contract with Deilmann.

In passing on a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction over a non-resident, a federal diversity court is required to engage in a two-step inquiry: first, whether *582 defendant committed one of the acts enumerated in the long-arm statute; and second, whether the exercise of personal jurisdiction over defendant violates the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment. The Land-O-Nod Company v. Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc., 708 F.2d 1338 (8th Cir.1983); Scullin Steel Co. v. National Railway Utilization Corp., 676 F.2d 309, 312 (8th Cir.1982). Plaintiff, the party that is seeking to invoke federal jurisdiction, has the burden of establishing that jurisdiction exists, and this burden may not be shifted to the party challenging the jurisdiction. Mountaire Feeds, Inc. v. Agro Impex, S.A., 677 F.2d 651, 653 (8th Cir. 1982). While the facts are viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs, "there must nonetheless be some evidence upon which a prima facie showing of jurisdiction may be found to exist...." Aaron Ferer & Sons Co. v. Diversified Metals Corp., 564 F.2d 1211, 1215 (8th Cir.1977) (citations omitted). See also Data Disc, Inc. v. Systems Technology Associates, Inc., 557 F.2d 1280, 1285 (9th Cir.1977) (plaintiff need only make a prima facie showing of jurisdictional facts through submission of affidavits plus discovery materials); 4 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil § 1068 at 250 (1969).

Missouri's Long-Arm statute provides:

1. Any person or firm, whether or not a citizen or resident of this state, or any corporation, who in person or through an agent does any of the acts enumerated in this section, thereby submits such person, firm, or corporation, and, if an individual, his personal representative, to the jurisdiction of the courts of this state as to any cause of action arising from the doing of any such acts:
(1) The transaction of any business within this state;
(2) The making of any contract within this state;
(3) The commission of a tortious act within this state;
(4) The ownership, use, or possession of any real estate situated in this state;
(5) The contracting to insure any person, property or risk located within this state at the time of contracting.
2. Only causes of action arising from acts enumerated in this section may be asserted against a defendant in an action in which jurisdiction over him is based upon this section.

§ 506.500, R.S.Mo. (1982).

The due process clause of the fourteenth amendment places limits upon the power of a court to exercise personal jurisdiction over a non-resident defendant. The due process clause requires that a defendant have certain minimum contacts with the forum state such that the maintenance of the suit does not offend "traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice." International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 316, 66 S.Ct. 154, 158, 90 L.Ed. 95 (1945); Land-O-Nod, 708 F.2d at 1340. Accord World Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286, 100 S.Ct. 559, 62 L.Ed.2d 490 (1980); Kulko v. California Superior Court, 436 U.S. 84, 98 S.Ct. 1690, 56 L.Ed.2d 132 (1978). "In judging minimum contacts, a court properly focuses on `the relationship among the defendant, the forum, and the litigation.'" Calder v. Jones, ___ U.S. ___, at ___, 104 S.Ct. 1482, 1486, 79 L.Ed.2d 804 (1984) (citations omitted). See also Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia S.A. v. Hall, ___ U.S. ___, at ___ - ___, 104 S.Ct. 1868, at 1872, 80 L.Ed.2d 404 (1984). The defendant's contacts with the forum state must be purposeful and such that defendant "should reasonably anticipate being haled into court there." World Wide Volkswagen, 444 U.S. at 297, 100 S.Ct. at 567. See also Hanson v. Denckla, 357 U.S. 235, 253, 78 S.Ct. 1228, 1239, 2 L.Ed.2d 1283 (1958).

In this circuit, the due process standard has devolved into a consideration of five factors:

(1) the nature and quality of the contacts with the forum state; (2) the quantity of the contacts with the forum state; (3) the relation of the cause of action to the contacts; (4) the interest of the forum *583 state in providing a forum for its residents; and (5) the convenience of the parties.

Aaron Ferer & Sons Co. v. Diversified Metals Corp.,

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585 F. Supp. 580, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sun-world-lines-v-march-shipping-corp-moed-1984.